Don't Ask, Don't Tell
by Victory-Starr
Summary: Gary and his daughter go to New York City. They meet up with Clint Cassidy and everyone at Westbury. They all run into their own kind of problems. Early Edition & Doc crossover.
1. New York

_For those of you who don't know what "Doc" is; it's a show about a country doctor from Montana, Clint Cassidy, who comes to practice medicine in the big city; New York. It airs right before "Early Edition" Mon – Thurs on Pax51/ i Network . Check it out!_

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"Daddy, can I go? Can I go, _please_?" Arianna asked, bursting through the office door as soon as she got home from school.

Gary and Marissa were both sitting at their desks. Marissa was at her computer and Gary was going over some paper work. Gary looked up at his enthused daughter and laughed. Marissa, too, had a smile on her face.

"Arianna, what are you talking about? Go where?" Gary asked.

"It's about school." Arianna began.

"Why, Arianna Hobson. I don't believe I've ever seen you so enthusiastic about school before." Gary teased her.

"Daddy, I'm serious. Here; look at this." She handed him an envelope that read: _To the parents of Arianna Hobson_.

"What is it?" Marissa asked after a moment.

"It's a letter from Arianna's school," Gary said slowly, while reading, "She, along with 9 other students has been selected to go on a six day field trip."

"Where to?" Marissa asked.

"New York City." Gary answered, looking up from the paper.

"Wow," Marissa smiled, "That's great, Arianna."

Arianna grinned, "So can I go, daddy? Please?"

"We'll have to talk about this, Arianna," Gary said, looking at her, "That's a long way to go by yourself."

"There's one more thing, daddy," Arianna added, "Mrs. Sherman wanted me to ask you if you would come along on the trip."

"Oh, honey," Gary leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples, "You know, I would love to go with you and chaperone your trip, but I can't leave. I've got the Paper to deal with."

Arianna sighed, "I thought you might say something like that."

"Here; I'll think about it, okay, Arianna," Gary slightly relented, "I'll think about it, but I can't promise you anything, okay?"

"Okay," Arianna smiled and gave Gary a hug, "I love you, daddy."

"I love you, too." Gary replied, "Now, go do your homework, alright?"

"Yes, sir." Arianna picked up her backpack and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Wow," Marissa commented, after Arianna left, "New York City. Have you ever been there?"

"A day or two," Gary replied, "But that was over 15 years ago."

"Are you going to let her go?" Marissa asked him.

Gary sighed, "I don't know, Marissa. I mean, she's only 11 years old. How can I let her go off to New York?"

Marissa smiled. "You could go with her, you know."

"No, I don't think so, Marissa," Gary shook his head, "I've got responsibilities here."

"Oh, yeah like what?" Marissa asked.

"This," Gary picked up the paper and dropped it on the desk, "How can I leave Chicago for a week when I've had this coming to me every morning for the past 16 years?"

"You're doing it again, Gary." Marissa reminded him.

"Doing what?"

"You're letting that Paper run your life." Marissa answered him, "Do you know what Chuck would tell you about this trip?"

"Please; don't even tell me," Gary protested, "I think I already know, anyway."

"What?"

"He'd say to forget all about the stupid Paper for once and go to New York and have a good time." Gary shook his head.

"And you know what?" Marissa concluded, "For once, Chuck is right; its time for you to have a break. Now, go to New York with your daughter and have a good time for once."

Gary sighed in frustration and stared hard at the newspaper lying on the desk. What was he going to do?

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Later that evening, around 8:30, Gary stepped out of the bathroom after taking a shower. Arianna, pajama-clad, was sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Hey," Gary said, walking over to her and tapped her on the head, "Its 8:30. Don't you think it's about time for bed? It's a school day tomorrow, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Arianna sighed, switching off the television and standing up, "Good night, daddy."

"Hey, wait a minute, Arianna. Not so fast. Can we talk a minute?" Gary asked, patting the seat beside him on the couch.

"Sure; what about?" Arianna asked, sitting down beside him.

"Well, honey," Gary put his arm around his daughter's shoulders, "It's about that trip to New York."

"You don't want me to go, do you, daddy?" Arianna looked up at him.

"Its not that I don't want you to go, Arianna," Gary explained, "It's just that you're only 11-years-old and whether you realize it or not, that's kind of young to be going off by yourself."

"But, I wouldn't be by myself, daddy," Arianna said, "And besides, if you would come and be one of the cha-, the cha-"

"-Chaperone." Gary corrected her.

"Right; chaperone," Arianna nodded, "If you would come and be a chaperone, than I wouldn't be by myself."

"Arianna, you know I can't go with you. I've got to handle the Paper. But, are you sure _your_ ready for something like this?" Gary asked his daughter, "I mean, in case you don't remember, you went to camp last summer and barely lasted a week."

"I know, daddy, but I think I can do it this time. I really do. Trust me." Arianna looked at her father with pleading eyes.

"Here, Arianna," Gary finally said, "I'll tell you what; you can go on the trip and I'll go with you if the Paper slows down enough."

"Really?" Arianna's face lit up.

"Yes, really. Now, you'd better get to bed before I change my mind."

Arianna grinned and stood. "Good night, daddy," Arianna gave Gray a hug, "And thanks."

"Good night, Arianna." Gary returned her hug.

After Arianna went to bed, Gary settled down to watch some television. But his mind wasn't on TV. He was trying to decide if he had made the right decision.

**---------------------------------------------------**

_A week later… The day before the trip_

"Meow!" Thump.

"Good morning, Chicago! It's a beautiful spring day outside, but…"

Gary turned the alarm clock off and rolled out of bed. As he stumbled to the door, he tried to wake himself up.

"Meow!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Gary mumbled, "Keep your fur on!"

Gary finally made his way over to the door. When he opened it, the cat, like usual, was sitting on the Paper. Gary picked it up, came inside and shut the door. He looked at the front page and gasped.

"What's the matter, daddy?" Arianna asked tiredly. She had just woken up and was now pouring herself some orange juice.

"Arianna," Gary started, not taking his eyes off of the newspaper, "Is that position still open for the chaperone?"

"Yes; why?" She replied, taking a sip of orange juice.

Without saying a word, Gary turned the Paper around so that Arianna could see the front page. When she saw it, she gasped and nearly chocked on her drink. Instead of saying "The Chicago-Sun Times" on the front, it said, "The New York Times".

"Arianna," Gary finally said, "We're going to New York City."

**--------------------------------------------------------------**

_The Next Day - Sunday_

Gary took a look around him when he stepped of the plane in New York City the next day. He was so glad he had decided to go with Arianna. He wouldn't have wanted to have to be worrying about her constantly.

For the 83rd time that day, Gary pulled the newspaper out from his back pocket. This morning, too, he woke up to find the New York Times on his doorstep; with no tragedies in it at all.

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a squeal. One of the students, a boy about 13, was pulling another girl's hair. Gary frowned and took the boy by the arm.

"Hey, kid, knock it off, would ya?" Gary scolded the troublemaker.

The boy nodded meekly and returned to silence. Arianna gave her father an encouraging smile and Gary returned it.

"_This chaperone business is harder than it sounds,"_ Gary thought, _"I'm not so sure I'm going to do this again."_

Eventually, the group of 10 kids and 4 adults got on a bus. Once seated, Gary pulled out the itinerary he had been given. Arianna leaned over his shoulder to read it and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Gary asked her, curiously.

"Nothing," Arianna shook her head, "Except that I'm sure you'll find this part of the trip _very_ interesting." She pointed to a place on the sheet of paper. It said; _The New York City Times building_

"Oh," Gary caught on, "Ha, ha, ha; very funny, Arianna. Actually, I was thinking that that part of the trip should be interesting. Maybe I'll figure out where this thing comes from." He picked up the newspaper and dropped it.

"I doubt it." She voiced her opinion, glancing down at the Paper.

Gary chuckled. "Okay, okay; you win." He chuckled, "Somehow I doubt I'll have this figured out 20 years from now either."

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by the bus driver's announcement; "Stafford Inn!"

The group all stood up, picked up their bags, and got off of the bus. When they got inside the hotel, Gary told Arianna; "Listen, you wait here with our bags and I'll go get us a room, okay?"

Arianna nodded and Gary went to the front desk to get a room. While Arianna waited, she turned to another girl on the field trip.

"What's you're name?" Arianna asked the girl. She didn't know any of the kids there because they were all from different schools.

"Rose Parker," The girl replied, "Who are you?"

"Arianna Hobson and that's my father over there; Gary Hobson," She pointed to Gary, "Did any of your parents come?"

"My mother did," She nodded her head toward a woman with shiny, blonde hair, "You see my father's job is being transferred here, so we're moving pretty soon. Mother wanted to look around for a decent place to live."

"Oh," Arianna nodded, "Have you ever been to New York City before?"

"Oh, yes, dozens of times. But, we usually stay somewhere much nicer than this." Rose looked around with a disgusted look on her face and her nose wrinkled up. Actually, it was a very nice hotel. "Oh, well," Rose sighed, "I guess I can manage. Mother's getting us a suite."

Suddenly, Gary returned. "Have you made a new friend, Ari?" He asked her, "Learn anything new?"

"Oh, yes," Arianna replied, eyeing Rose's expensive clothes, "Tons; just tons."

"Alright, come on, Arianna," Gary said, picking up his and Arianna's bags, "Let's go upstairs."

Arianna followed her father upstairs. All the meanwhile, she thought about Rose Parker. _"Gosh," _She thought,_ "You'd think her father was the king or something."_

A few minutes later, they reached their room; number 165. They went in, shut the door, and Gary sat the two bags down.

Folding his arms across his chest, and leaning against the wall, Gary looked at Arianna and said; "Come on, Arianna; spill it. What's bothering you?"

"What do you mean?" Arianna tried to play innocent, but it was all in vain.

"Oh, come on, Ari, I'm your father. I think I know when something's bothering my own daughter," Gary said, "Now, what is it? You've been acting strange ever since I came back from getting us a room."

"Why are some people such snobs?" Arianna exhaled loudly and sat down on the side of one of the two beds.

"W-hoa; wait a minute, Arianna." Gary stopped her, "Who are you calling a snob?"

"Never mind," Arianna shook her head, "Just forget I even said anything."

"No, no, no; tell me what's bothering you."

"It's that Rose Parker." The girl explained, "She's rich and spoiled! You should hear her talk; 'I've stayed in much nicer hotels than this one, but I guess I'll make do. At least mother's getting us a suite'."

"I don't know why some people are like that, Arianna," Gary sat down beside her and ran his fingers through his hair, "Some people, they, they just don't have much of an appreciation for life. They take everything for granted."

"But, what are you supposed to do when somebody like that is getting on your nerves?" Arianna asked.

"Just let her go, Arianna," Gary advised his daughter, "Ignore what she says and try not to let it bother you. If you don't, it'll ruin your trip."

Arianna gave a small smile, "I guess your right. We're here to have a good time and I'm not going to let Rose Parker or anybody else, spoil it for me."

Gary patted her on the back. "That's my girl. Now," He stood up and opened one of the dresser drawers, "What do say we unpack?"

Arianna smiled. She was glad her father had been able to come.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Arianna and Gary both gazed up at the huge dinosaur skeleton in front of them. It was the next day and the group was at a dinosaur museum.

"Gosh," Arianna whispered, "It's huge!"

Gary nodded in agreement. It _was_ huge. He found it hard to believe that such a massive creature once walked the earth; but it did.

Suddenly, he noticed the troublemaker from the day before, Jared, causing problems. Again, Gary frowned. This one was trouble. He took the boy by the arm and walked with him as the group moved on.

As the group moved away to another room, Arianna continued to stare at the giant T-rex in front of her. It was so tall! She wondered how tall it really was.

"How old do you think it is, daddy?" She asked, continuing to stare at the dinosaur, "Daddy?" She turned around and that's when she noticed the group was gone.

"_Now, which way did we come from and which way did they go?'_" She asked herself. The room she was in was shaped like a circle and had about four different exits. Finally, she decided on one and went that way.

She walked into that room and noticed a group of kids looking at some dinosaur teeth in a display case. At first she thought it was her group, but when she got closer, she realized that it wasn't. But she was curious and went to go look at the teeth.

"Hi," A boy next to her said, "Who are you?"

Arianna turned to face him. The boy was had dark hair and dark eyes. He was about her height and he looked to be about 11-years-old.

"Arianna Hobson," She replied, "You?"

"I'm Raul Garcia. Do you live around here?" He asked. He didn't think she did because she had a slight accent, but he decided to ask her anyway.

"No, I'm from Chicago." Arianna explained, "I'm on a class trip, but I kinda got separated from my group. Have you seen them?"

"Uh, I might have," Raul slightly nodded, "Was there four adults leading them; 2 guys and 2 ladies?"

"Yeah, that was them," Arianna nodded excitedly, "Which way did they go?"

"Well, it was a few minutes ago and at a totally different exhibit," He explained, "I'm not sure you could find them on your own. I'll go with you if you'd like."

"Well, that'd be great, Raul," Arianna accepted, relieved. She hadn't been so sure she could find them, "But would your teacher mind?" She pointed to the auburn woman who was busy talking about teeth.

"She won't mind. It's for a good cause. Besides," He added, "She probably won't even know I'm gone. I'll be back in just a few minutes."

"Okay," Arianna gave in, "If you're sure."

"I'm sure. Let's go."

Arianna followed Raul through several more rooms, while looking for her group.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

It was about fifteen minutes since they had left the T-rex and Arianna's group was looking at paintings of dinosaurs. Nobody, including Gary, seemed to notice that Arianna wasn't with them.

Out of habit, Gary glanced from the paintings down at the Paper and what he read shocked him. It said that there was going to be a major fire at Stanley's Dinosaur Museum; the museum he was in at that very moment! Franticly, Gary turned around.

"Arianna," Gary started, "Did yo-" Slowly, he turned around and noticed that his daughter was no where to be seen.

"Oh, no," He whispered under his breath.

Quickly, he let one of the other chaperones know that he was leaving, but would be back in just a few minutes; and that he needed to find Arianna.

As fast as he could without running, he headed for the back of the building; where the Paper said the fire would start.

He got there about ten minutes later, but there was no sign of the fire. Quickly, he scanned the article again. He was at the right place at the right time, but there was no fire.

"_Okay, what's going on here?"_ He asked himself, as if he would get an answer.

Knowing that he had to do something, he acted quickly and pulled the red fire alarm on the wall beside him.

"_Now," _He thought,_ "Where is my daughter?"_

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"I appreciate your help, Raul," Arianna said after about 10 – 15 minutes of searching, "but you should probably get back to your class. You might get in trouble. I'm sure I'll find the group. They won't leave without me. My father's with them and I'm sure he knows I'm gone now."

"Just the same," Raul said, "I'll go with you. I want to make sure you find your dad, Arianna. Don't worry about me; I'll be fine. And I'm not missing anything. I've been here lots of times."

Arianna smiled. "Thanks."

Suddenly there was a loud ringing sound throughout the building.

"What's that?" Arianna asked, startled.

"It's the fire alarm," Raul replied hastily, "Come on!"

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Gary franticly ran through the building, looking for Arianna. He now smelled the smoke and he knew there was a fire somewhere; that' snot what worried him. What worried him was that he didn't know where his daughter was through all of this.

He then saw firefighters rushing past him. They were heading towards the fire and Gary had no doubt that things would turn out fine now. But, he continued to look for Arianna. It had been at least a half hour since he had noticed she was gone; and who knows how long she was gone before he had noticed?

"Hold it right there, mister," An African-American man in a police uniform said, "I need to talk to you."

"Is, is something wr-wrong, of-officer?" Gary stammered. He had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"I hope not," The officer said, "But I've asked around and people tell me that you pulled the fire alarm. Is that true?"

"W-well, yes, officer," Gary admitted, "But y-you see, I had g-good reason to."

"I'm sure you did," The officer replied, "But I still want to talk with you. Come with me please."

Gary let out an exasperated breath and followed the officer to the second floor of the museum. He remembered going through this fire alarm business before; 15 years ago.

"Take a seat." The officer motioned for Gary to sit down.

They were the only ones in the upstairs hallway. Gary wished the officer, who he now knew his name was Nate Jackson, would have chosen to sit downstairs. Instead, Officer Jackson chose to sit upstairs… right next to the banister overlooking the second floor.

Gary tried not to look down, but he found it quite difficult. He eventually turned his attention to Officer Jackson.

"You pulled that fire alarm way before that fire started, Mr. Hobson," Officer Jackson commented, "Now, tell me; how did you know that there was going to be a fire?"

"Instinct."

"Instinct?" Officer Jackson asked, with one eyebrow raised.

"Ye-yes; in-instinct," Gary stuttered, "And besides that, I thought I smelled a bit of smoke."

"Mmm-hmm," The officer nodded slowly.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Arianna and Raul were running through the building, heading for the exit, when suddenly Arianna slid to a stop.

"Look," She exclaimed as she pointed, "Firefighters; and they've put out the fire!"

"Hey," Raul stopped too, "That wasn't a very big fire at all. Come on, let's go check it out."

They walked over towards the small, damaged area of the building, but a man carrying yellow CAUTION tape stopped them.

"Sorry, kids," The man said, "This part of the building is off limits."

The kids turned away and started to head up stairs. When they reached the top, they both stopped dead in there tracks.

"Daddy!" Arianna exclaimed.

"Nate!" Raul said at the same time.

Arianna ran over to Gary and gave him a big hug. Suddenly she looked down. Like her father, Arianna hated heights and quickly stepped away.

Gary managed a small chuckle, "It's alright, honey; just stand over there."

"Wait a minute," Officer Jackson said, confused, "You two know each other?"

Gary stood up and put his arm around Arianna's shoulders. "Officer Jackson," He said, "This is my daughter, Arianna. We were here today on a school field trip."

"And you know him?" Arianna asked Raul, while pointing to Officer Jackson.

"Uh, yeah," Raul nodded, "He's my dad."

"Okay," Officer Jackson nodded, "Now that we're all acquainted, let's finish discussing this fire alarm business."

"Listen, Officer Jackson," Gary said, "I, I just managed to pull the alarm at a very good time. Could we, uh, just let this go; just this once? Please?"

Officer Jackson closed his notebook. "Alright," He said, "But just this once."

"Thank you, Officer Jackson," Gary said, relieved, as he backed away from the group, "Thank you very – "

"Daddy!" Arianna screamed, "Look out!"

It was too late. In his haste to get away from Officer Jackson as quickly as possible, Gary had fallen over the banister and onto the carpeted floor below.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Arianna ran down the stairs as fast as she could with Nate Jackson and Raul right behind her. When she reached the bottom she could see her father lying motionless on the hard floor.

Arianna ran to the unconscious man and knelt down beside him. She took his hand and held it tightly in her own and began crying.

"Daddy, wake up," She cried, "Please wake up."

As she looked upon her father's peaceful face, she was vaguely aware of Nate calling for an ambulance and him saying into the phone, "Well, he's got a pulse, but it's weak; very weak."

About ten minutes later, paramedics rushed inside with a gurney. Slowly and carefully, they put Gary on it and wheeled him into the ambulance.

As Arianna watched, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and looked up into the face of Nate Jackson.

"Come on," He offered, "Raul and I'll take you to the hospital."

Numbly, Arianna followed the man and boy to the car. She settled down in the back seat and wasn't even aware of he surrounds as they drove off.

How could this happen? Was it really true? She just wanted to wake up and find it all a nightmare.

"_It's all my fault/"_ She blamed herself, _"If I hadn't asked daddy to come with me, we wouldn't be in this mess."_

Now, she wasn't only feeling frightened, but she was feeling guilt like she had never felt before. Never had she felt this way in her entire eleven years.

"We're here." Nate announced, pulling into a parking lot fifteen minutes later.

For the first time since she had climbed in the car, Arianna took her eyes off of the floor. When she looked up, she saw a hospital and a sign that read; _Westbury Clinic_

Still in complete shock, Arianna climbed out of the car and followed Nate and Raul into the hospital waiting room. There was a woman at the desk and Nate told Arianna that her name was Tippy.

"Wh-when can I s-see my fa-father?" she asked Nate quietly.

"The doctors are with him right now, Arianna," He informed her, "They'll let us know when you can go in."

Arianna then managed to ask the question that had been on her mind for sometime, "Is, will, is gonna be al-alright?"

Nate sighed, "I don't really have an answer to that question, Arianna," He admitted, "But when the doctor comes out, you can ask him anything you want."

Arianna just wanted to scream. She couldn't stand the fact that her father could be breathing his last at that very moment. And it tore her apart to realize that if she hadn't asked him to come with her, than none of that would have happened. She racked her brain to think of someway she could erase all that had happened, but she knew deep down inside that nothing could change what had happened. She knew first hand that you can only change something that was _going_ to happen; if you knew it was going to happen, that is.

Arianna sat in that chair for what seemed like hours. She stared down hard at one spot on the floor until everything else disappeared; voices, people, the entire hospital… everything, but the pang of guilt she had in her heart and the knot of fear in her stomach. Nothing she tried could even start ease to heal the feelings.

Just then, she heard an unfamiliar voice speak to her; "Arianna Hobson?"

She looked up from the spot on the floor and into the face of a man she had never seen before. He had on jeans, a button-down shirt, and cowboy boots. "Y-y-yes?" She managed to reply.

"My name's Dr. Clint Cassidy," The man introduced himself. Arianna noticed right away that he had an accent, but she couldn't exactly say where he was from "I've been treatin' your father."

"Is, is he going to be al-alright?" Part of the girl didn't want to hear the answer to the question, the other part was screaming out to know what would happen.

"Could we discuss this in my office?" The doctor offered, "I think it would be a little more private." He nodded his head towards the other people in the room.

Arianna nodded. Then she stood up and slowly followed the man into his office. Once inside and leaving the door opened, Dr. Cassidy pulled out a chair.

"Here," He offered, "Take a seat."

Arianna obeyed and took a seat across the desk from the doctor. Nervously, she clutched the arms of the chair. She was afraid of what the doctor was going to tell her.

"Arianna," He began by asking a question, "How old are you?"

"Eleven and a ½." She whispered, quietly.

Clint closed his eyes in complete dread. Oh, God! How was he supposed to tell an 11-year-old that her father might not live to say another word to her? Or that even if he did, he might be brain-dead?

"Arianna," Clint began to explain Gary's position the best he could to the girl, "By the time your father got here, he had been without air for several minutes. We _have_ managed to get him stabilized though. He is in a deep coma. He has some badly bruised ribs, and one broken arm. But, those should be as good as new in a few weeks. I'm surprised really; it could have been a lot worse… he could've broken his neck."

"Wh-when will h-he wake up?" Arianna managed to ask.

Clint sighed, and leaned forward across his desk. "I can't promise you he will wake up, Arianna," He admitted, "Some people wake up and do just fine. Other people, well… some of them never wake up."

"Do, do you think he w-will wake up, Dr. Cassidy?" Arianna asked hopefully.

"It's too early to tell," The man told her, "We'll keep a close watch on him and will let ya know of any change."

Arianna was suddenly aware of hot tears stinging her eyes and threatening to spill down her cheeks. She wouldn't cry. She would _not_ cry! Not in front of everybody.

As Clint watched the girl, his heart ached for her. To tell a little girl that her father was asleep and there was a chance he wouldn't wake up again; that was terrible. He could see the tears in her eyes that she tried to hold back and hide. He wished there was something he could do, or, or say to fix things; at least make them better, but he couldn't. There wasn't anything that he could do and that pained him terribly.

"Nate tells me you're from Chicago, Arianna," Clint said after a moment, "Did your mother come to New York with you and your dad?"

"I, I don't ha-have a mother," Arianna said, barely above a whisper; not quite looking him in the eye, "She, she died."

"I'm very sorry."

"Its, its alright," Arianna took a deep breath and said, "It happened a long time ago. I was just a baby."

Clint didn't know what to say now; nor did he know what to do. The child's father was unconscious and her mother was dead. She had no one to take care of her.

"Arianna, do ya have any relatives in the area?" He asked.

Arianna shook her head, "Just my grandparents in Indiana, but they left for a cruise two days ago. Um, do you think that I could, maybe, see my father? Please? Just for a few minutes?"

Clint nodded, "Sure. Come with me and I'll show you where he's at."

Arianna followed Clint out of the office and down the hall. He stopped outside Gary's door and Arianna did the same. She wasn't so sure she wanted to see her father in that condition; asleep in a hospital bed and unable for anyone to wake him up. She had seen him in the hospital before, of course; looking much worse than he would now. You would think it would come to the point where it didn't bother you as much, but that wasn't the case. It _did_ bother her, and for a moment she was afraid to go in.

"Are ya ready?" Clint interrupted her, gently.

Bracing herself, Arianna took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I, I'm ready."

The doctor led her into the room and what Arianna saw is what looked like her father peacefully taking a nap; that and the fact that one of his arms were in a sling.

Arianna sank into a chair beside the bed, still holding back the tears that so desperately wanted to pour out and empty all of the terrible feelings that were building up inside her.

"Can, can he hear me, Dr. Cassidy?" She asked, taking her father's good hand in her own.

"Some people say that people can hear when he's in a coma," Clint pointed out, "I, for one, happen to believe it's true. You can talk to him if you'd like. He can't answer ya back, but I'm sure it would do him a lot of good to hear your voice."

"Do you really think so?" Arianna asked hopefully.

"I really do." The doctor nodded.

Arianna managed a small smile.

"Now, if you could excuse me," He said, "I've got some things I need to take care of, but I'll be back to check up on both of you in a little bit. In the meantime, why don't you stay here with your dad?"

Arianna nodded and Dr. Cassidy left the room.

"Daddy," Arianna said after Clint left the room, "I know you can't talk to me back, but Dr. Cassidy says that you can hear me. So, I'll just do all the talking. You don't have to worry at all about the Paper. I'll take care of it all! Everything will be fine. Y-you just rest up," The tears began to build up again as Arianna's voice broke, "You've g-got to get well, so th-that we can go b-back home! You've just got to! I've l-l-lost my mother al-already. I can't l-l-lose you too, d-daddy. You, you're e-everything to me. Please, please g-get better!"

With that, Arianna laid her head on Gary's bed and wept.

**-------------------------------------------------------**


	2. While You Were Sleeping

In the meantime, Clint was busy trying to find Nancy Nichol; a nurse and very good friend of his. She was a friend that he had special feelings for. Not that he had ever told that to anyone, but he knew in his heart that she was special to him and that maybe, just maybe, they could someday become more than good friends.

He finally spotted her. She was talking to Oliver Crane; an obnoxious, self-righteous, doctor who worked at Westbury.

"Nurse Nichol," Clint could hear Dr. Crane saying, "I can assure you that Ms. Kensington has been well treated. After all, I treated her didn't I? Now, good day, Nurse Nichol." With that, the arrogant man headed in his own direction.

Chuckling, Clint walked over to Nancy. "Havin' a nice little chat with Dr. Crane again, I see," Clint said smiling, "What'd he want?"

"Oh, he, ah, just forget it," Nancy replied, "It's nothing. He was just being 'Dr. Crane' again. Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Actually, there is," Clint nodded, "It's about Gary Hobson."

"You mean the unconscious man who was just brought in?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah," Clint nodded, "The thing is, he's got a little girl."

"Oh, no." Nancy gasped.

"And that's not all," Clint added, "Her mother died when she was only a baby. Her grandparents are on a cruise and there's nobody to take care of her. She's here all the way from Chicago and we can't send her home without her dad. She wants to be here for him and frankly, I think it's a good idea. It might be good for him to see someone he knows when he wakes up."

"Well, what are you going to do?" Nancy asked, concerned.

"Well," Clint said hopefully, "I was hopin' you'd take her."

"Oh, I can't, Clint," Nancy said, regretfully, "But, I've already got company at home. My apartment's already full to the max. Sorry."

"Well, what do ya think I should do then?" Clint asked desperately.

Nancy smiled and Clint had a feeling he knew what her plan was. He wasn't sure Arianna would go for it though.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"How's the patient doin'?"

Arianna turned her head around. Dr. Cassidy was standing in the doorway.

"He's the same, Dr. Cassidy," Arianna shrugged, "He hasn't changed a bit. But he'll be okay," She added positively, "He has to be."

"I'm sure he will be," Clint encouraged the girl. He put his hand on her shoulder and she turned to look at him, "I need to ask you something, Arianna."

"What is it?" Arianna asked, instantly worried.

"It's alright. Nothings wrong," He reassured her, "I was just wondering if you had thought about where you would sleep tonight. You certainly can't go back to that hotel and stay by yourself."

Arianna thought about that for a minute. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it." She finally said. Where _was_ she going to sleep?

"Well, I've been thinkin'," He spoke up, "How would you like stayin' with me? Would ya mind?" There. He did it.

Arianna frowned. She'd definitely have to think about it. After all, she hardly knew this guy. He seemed sincere and nice enough, but she still wasn't sure. And besides, she wasn't sure she wanted to leave her father all night. Somebody had to keep an eye on him.

"Trust me," The doctor continued, seeing the look on the girls face, "Ya don't have to come if ya don't want to. Do ya wanna think about it for awhile?"

"Do, do you mind?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course not," Clint replied, understandingly, "You think about it. If ya decide that you'd like to come and stay with me, just let me know. I'll be leavin' around 5. Just let me know when ya make up your mind."

"I will." Arianna promised, "And doctor?"

"Yeah?" He stopped at the doorway.

"Thanks... for everything, I mean."

Clint just smiled and left the room. She was a sweet child and very polite. He couldn't help but wonder what her father was like. If he was anything like his daughter, he was probably a pleasant man; Clint was sure.

Clint sighed at the trouble on his hands and then went to check on his other patients.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Arianna glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearing 5 o'clock and Arianna still wasn't quite sure of whether she was going to stay with Clint Cassidy while Gary was sick, or not.

"What do you think, daddy?" She whispered to her father, knowing she wouldn't get a reply, "Should I go, or not? I mean, I could stay here with you. I don't want you to be alone."

Arianna knew Gary so well. And she knew that if she had told him that when he wasn't unconscious, he would have protested… a lot. He would worry about her not getting enough rest if she stayed with him.

With that, Arianna made her decision. She would go stay with Dr. Cassidy.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

It was just past 5 o'clock and Arianna and Clint were at the Stafford Inn. They were getting Gary and Arianna's things and from there they would go to Clint's apartment. Gary and Arianna and each only brought two bags, so there wasn't much too carry.

They were downstairs in the lobby, heading for the door, when Arianna heard somebody call her name. Arianna turned around to find Rose Parker hurrying towards her. Arianna really didn't feel like putting up with Rose's attitude, but she stopped anyway.

"Oh, Arianna," She said, "I heard about what happened. I'm very sorry."

"Thanks."

Suddenly, Rose's mother walked up behind her daughter. "Arianna," She offered, "Why don't you stay with Rose and me? That way you can still enjoy your trip. It'll take your mind off of your father."

Now, Arianna was boiling. Didn't they understand? Didn't anybody understand? She didn't _want_ to take her mind off of Gary. And she didn't _want_ to go to the other museums with her class. She wanted to stay at the hospital, so she could be there when Gary woke up. But, she managed a polite reply anyway.

"Thank you, Mrs. Parker," Arianna replied, courteously, "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not going to be with the group anymore. My, my father's unconscious and I want to be there when he wakes up."

"Arianna, where will you stay? You can't stay here alone." Mrs. Parker informed her.

"Thanks for your concern, Mrs. Parker," Arianna said, "But, I'm going to stay with Dr. Cassidy."

It was only then did the Parkers first notice Clint standing there, holding Gary's bag. He had remained silent throughout the entire conversation, but now added his piece.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Parker," He said, "I'll take good care of Arianna. She can stay with me and during the day we'll be at the clinic. If ya ever feel the need to stop by, we'll be at Westbury Clinic." He scribbled his name and the clinic's name onto a piece of paper and handed it to the woman.

As Mrs. Parker accepted the paper, she eyed Clint's appearance. _"Well, he's certainly not worried about keeping up in style,"_ She told herself, noticing the man's jeans, boots, and black cowboy hat, _"But, he seems like a polite man."_

"Very well," Mrs. Parker finally said, "We will certainly miss you, Arianna. I hope your father gets well."

"Thank you, Mrs. Parker."

"We'll stop by and visit sometime, darling." And with that, mother and daughter went their own way.

"Great," Arianna said sarcastically, "I… can't wait."

"Friends of yours?" Clint asked, as they headed out the door.

"No, not really," Arianna shrugged, truthfully, "I just met them yesterday. They're kinda like snobs."

Clint laughed. "I can see how ya might say that, Arianna," He replied, "But, I'm sure they have their good sides. Everybody does; even Dr. Crane."

"Who's Dr. Crane?" Arianna asked, curiously.

"A doctor at Westbury," Clint partially explained, "Don't worry. You'll meet him eventually."

"Is he mean?" Arianna asked.

"No, no, you'll see." He said.

"Arianna Hobson! Is that you?"

Arianna and Clint both spun around. What in the…? That's when Arianna saw Chuck Fishman come running down the sidewalk from behind them.

"Chuck!" Arianna exclaimed, giving the man a hug, "What're you doing here?"

"I've been checking out some locations for some movie projects; leaving tomorrow," He said, "What are you doing here… and who's the cowboy?" He asked, eyeing Clint.

"Oh, Dr. Cassidy, this is my father's best friend; Chuck Fishman." She began to introduce the pair.

"Clint Cassidy," Clint held out his hand and Chuck shook it, "Pleased to meet ya."

"Dr. Cassidy, well, h-he's taking care of daddy." Arianna said softly, not quite looking into Chuck's eyes.

"Taking care of Gary?" Chuck looked startled, "What's wrong with Gary?"

"He, he had an ac-accident, Chuck," Arianna's voice broke, but she fought the tears, "He fell over a, a banister a-and he's hurt."

Chuck immediately held the girl close and as he did, he looked over her head and into Clint's eyes, "How is he, Doc?"

"He's got some badly bruised ribs…" Clint said first.

"And..?" Chuck asked expectantly.

"And he's in a coma." Clint finished, not wanting to be the bearer of such bad news.

Chuck couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, he asked, "Is he gonna be okay?"

"I think he will be," Clint said truthfully, shifting the hat on his head, "He seems to be in good shape and he didn't get hit too hard. Yeah, I think he'll pull through."

"I sure hope so. Gare's got too much to live for… and a lot of responsibilities." Chuck gave Arianna a "look" that only the two of them knew what it meant. What they didn't realize is that Clint saw the whole thing; he knew they had a secret of some kind.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"Arianna, you can't stay at the hotel by yourself." Chuck commented a few moments later after he learned why she was in NYC in the first place. By this time, the trio had moved form the sidewalk into a warm, little coffee shop. They were sitting in a booth next to a window where Arianna could see all the hustle and bustle going on outside.

Quickly, Clint and Arianna filled him in on their plans. After some persuading from both of them, Chuck was finally convinced to let her stay with a "perfect stranger". But, Chuck trusted the doctor. He really did seem sincere when he'd said that he wanted to do all he could do to help.

"Now, Arianna," Chuck said, "Since your gonna be staying with a doctor, I think there's a little piece of advice you should have. It would be unfair not to tell you."

"What?" Arianna asked with half a smile.

"First, I gotta tell you a little story. And just remember; I'm giving you this advice from my own past experience;

"I was at the hospital, waiting to see one of my friends. Well, it was late; like, 2:00 AM. I went up to go to the restroom and when I came back, my seat was taken. The guy in it refused to move, believe it or not. Now, like I said; it was later, er, early, I guess. I tried standing for a while, but eventually I just got so tired, I collapsed onto the floor."

Arianna started giggling. It sounded like something Chuck would do. Clint smiled too. He was starting to wonder about Gary Hobson's personality again.

"Hey, listen, I'm not done," Chuck said, "Now, when you collapse on the floor of a major hospital in LA, people come from everywhere; doctors, nurses, spectators. Another thing; never let them do that _THUMP!_ thing to ya. That hurts like fire!"

Clint and Arianna both began to laugh out loud, earning them the undetected stares and strange glances from the people around them.

"And the moral of this story is...?" Clint asked, his laughing ceased.

"I was getting to that," Chuck said, then looked Arianna in the eye, "Arianna, if you're ever lying down, and you hear someone yell 'clear'… stand up!"

A few minutes later, after everyone was done laughing, they stood up to go.

"Listen, Arianna," Chuck said, as the three walked out the door and into the cold February air, "I'll come by the hospital and see you tomorrow before I leave, alright?"

"Alright," Arianna replied.

Then, after Chuck and Clint shook hands, Chuck went one way and Arianna and Clint went another.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"Peanut Butter?" Arianna asked, surprised. It was about 8 o'clock that night and Arianna was sitting on the couch in Clint's apartment. He had suggested that they make s'mores in the fireplace and Arianna had readily agreed. Except, she was very surprised to see him bring out peanut butter, instead of chocolate.

"Yeah," Clint nodded sitting down on the couch, "Back home in Montana, we don't use chocolate; we use peanut butter. Here; why don't you try some?"

Arianna accepted the offer, and watched as Clint showed her how to put the roasted marshmallow onto the peanut butter-covered graham cracker. As soon as she took her bite of the treat, all doubts vanished. It was delicious!

"This is good!" She announced.

"Now, what'd I tell ya?" Clint smiled, spreading some peanut butter onto another cracker, "So, Arianna… tell me about yourself."

Arianna looked up in surprise, then began to do as he had asked.

"Well," She began slowly, not being quite sure of what he wanted to hear, "My mother had to have an emergency c-section when I was born. She got an infection and died 2 days later."

"I'm sorry." Clint gave her an apologetic look.

"Don't be," She told him, "I mean, I appreciate it and all, but I'm actually better off than a lot of kids I know. There's this kid at school; his parents are divorced. His mom lives in Denver and his dad lives in Florida. He has to switch around all the time. Its terrible. With daddy, we get to spend time together. We're, we're v-very close," Arianna's eyes filled with the tears she had been holding back all day, "We're really a-all each o-other has." That did it; the tears that she had been holding back all day, spilled over her cheeks in what was at first, a small whimper turned into a chocked sob.

Clint put his arm around the girl as the tears streamed down her face. As she cried on his shoulder, he wished that there was something more he could do. He wished that he could heal Gary Hobson, but inside he knew that the only one who could do that is God. God was the only one who could _truly_ heal the man. All the doctors in the world wouldn't be able to heal this man or any other person, no matter what the circumstances were. Sure, they could do their part, but the real healing process was up to the Lord.

Clint glanced down at the girl beside him. She was so young; she still needed a father more than anything. With that in mind, the doctor sent up a small prayer;

"_Lord,"_ He prayed silently, _"Please heal Gary Hobson."_

Clint noticed that Arianna's crying had ceased and he glanced down at her. He was surprised to see that she was asleep. He eased himself off the couch and gently slid a pillow underneath the girl's head. Then after laying a soft blanket over top of her, he switched off the lamp and went to bed.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"Meow!" Thump!

Arianna groaned and rolled over, thinking that Gary would be getting the Paper. That's when she remembered where she was.

Wearily, she rolled off the couch and headed towards the front door, glancing at the clock as she walked; 6:30 AM, like usual. When she opened the door, the cat tried to run in as he always did, but Arianna stopped him.

"Not here and not today," He told him, picking him up, "This is Clint's house and I don't want to have to try to explain you." She picked up the Paper, put the cat outside in the hallway and shut the door. Glancing down at the newspaper, she noticed that it was again the 'New York Times' with, of course, the next day's date on it.

Turning around, she was suddenly aware that Clint was standing in the doorway of his room, dressed in jeans, boots, and a checked shirt.

Quickly, Arianna hid the Paper behind her back, "Uh, g-good morning, C-Clint." She said nervously.

"Good mornin', Arianna," He replied, pretending not to notice her secretive actions, "Ya sleep good last night?"

"Y-yes, and um, thanks for the blanket and everything." She said.

"No problem," He replied, "Hey, listen, you remember Nate and Raul from yesterday?"

Arianna nodded.

"Well, we're goin' to their place for breakfast this mornin'." Clint told her, "How soon can ya be ready to go?"

"Ten minutes?" Arianna asked.

"Sure."

Quickly, Arianna grabbed her duffel bag and went into the bathroom. Sitting down on the edge of the bathtub, she began to read the Paper. She couldn't seem to find hardly anything that needed her attention; except for a few minor things, that is. The first incident didn't even happen for 2 hours. She had plenty of time.

Setting the newspaper aside, Arianna pulled on a clean pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled to her elbows. She quickly braided her hair and brushed her teeth. Sticking the Paper in her back pocket, she was ready to go.

They didn't have to walk very far to reach Nate and Raul's place. They lived in the same building, Arianna learned.

Clint knocked on their door, and a pretty woman with black hair opened it. "Hi, Clint," She said, smiling, "And you must be Arianna Hobson," She said to Arianna, "I'm Beverly Jackson. Come on in, you two."

Arianna walked into the apartment and looked around. Just then, she saw Raul walk into the room from another room.

"Hi, Clint, Arianna," He greeted the two.

"Hey, Raul," Clint said, patting him on the back, "how're you doin' this mornin'?"

"Okay, I guess," Raul said, sitting down at the table, "I've got to turn in a report at school on everything we saw at the museum yesterday."

"That should be interesting." Clint commented, also sitting down at the table.

"Yeah," Nate joined in, who was sitting at the table, holding a baby, "Especially, since he didn't see the whole museum yesterday."

Clint just smiled.

"All right," Beverly announced, carrying a plate of pancakes to the table, "Breakfast is served; everybody sit down."

Gladly, everybody sat down to eat. The food was good and Arianna had a large glass of milk to go with it. A little while later, when everyone was done, it was time to go. Raul grabbed his backpack and Nate grabbed his jacket. Clint and Arianna followed them out the door.

"Thank you for the meal," Arianna paused at the door and said, "And it was nice to meet you, Beverly."

"Nice to meet you to, Arianna," She smiled, "Come by anytime you like, alright?"

Arianna nodded and followed Clint down the hall. She was eager to get to the clinic. She wanted to see her father. She wanted to see how he was doing. As they walked, Arianna kept an eye out for Kichron Street. That was where the first save in the Paper that day was. A man was going to be hit by a car because he wasn't watching where he was going; in about an hour.

A few minutes later, they got to Westbury. As soon as they got there, Arianna went to go check on Gary. Slowly, she walked into his room. He still lay there, like he had been lying there the day before.

"Daddy, I'm back." She said softly, sitting down next to him. She took his hand in hers; hands that had pulled people out of the way of speeding cars; the same hands that had held her and comforted her with when she was sad or afraid.

Just then, Clint walked in. "How is he?" He asked quietly.

"The same, I guess," Arianna replied, "Clint, he's going to wake up. I know he will."

"You know, Arianna," Clint said, "I think you're right. I think he's gonna wake up."

"You do?"

"Yeah," He nodded, "For one thing, he's in a coma, but not very deep. I think he'll pull out of it. And another thing; it's not his time to go, yet. He's still got a lot of things to do."

After checking Gary out a bit more, Clint left the room. As he left the room, he shook his head in amazement. That girl was pretty sure of herself and of her father. But, Clint was sure that Arianna and Chuck Fishman were hiding something from him; from everyone. He just didn't know what. He was starting to wonder if Gary was going to be the same way. Was he going to act mysterious and strange, too? Well, strange, probably 'yes'. After all, wouldn't you act strange after waking up from days of unconsciousness?

"How's he doing?" Nancy walked into Clint's office asked. Clint was sitting at his desk, going over some paper work.

"Well, he's about the same, but I think he's gonna pull through." Clint answered her, pulling her out a chair.

"That's great, Clint. You know, 11-years-old is too young to be without a father." Nancy told him, sitting down.

"Yeah, ya know, that little girl has got more faith than a lot of adults I know. She insists that her father's gonna be alright and ya know; I agree with her."

"Wow," Nancy replied, "That's amazing. I know if I were her I'd be scared to death."

"Oh, she's scared," Clint assured the nurse, "Trust me; she's scared and she needs her dad right now more than anything. The only problem is this is the time when he can't be there for her. She tries to act brave, but I know that deep down she's scared; real scared. Ya should've seen her cry last night. I just wish there was somethin' I could do for her."

"You're already doing something for her, Clint," Nancy told him softly, "You took her in when the only place she had to go was a chair by her dad's hospital bed. You opened up your home to her. You've been giving her the reassurance she needed and courage she didn't even know she had. You hardly know the girl, Clint, but you've been there for her. You've been there for her when her father can't be. And whether you realize it today or tomorrow, you've done so much for her already. And I'm sure she realizes it."

Clint looked Nancy in the eye and nodded slowly. She was right. "Thanks." He told her.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Arianna pulled the Paper from her back pocket and read that very first article for 63rd time that day.

Man Paralyzed in Hit & Run on Kichron

The girl gave an exasperated sigh. What was she supposed to do? She was in an unfamiliar city and had top handle tomorrow's news on her own. She didn't even know where Kichron Street was, for Pete's sake! She glanced at her watch. The save was in twenty minutes. It might take her that long to find the street. She quickly stuffed the Paper back in her pocket. Softly, she brushed a kiss across her father's forehead.

"I'll be back, daddy," She whispered, "I've got a few 'errands' to run, but I'll be back soon."

Slipping into her jacket, Arianna left the room. Walking up to Tippy, the receptionist, Arianna asked her where Kichron Street was.

"Um, Kichron Street," She said, "That's just a few blocks from here. Why do ask?"

"I, I have s-some er-errands to run. I'll be back soon though." Arianna explained, "You can just tell Dr. Cassidy I'll b back soon."

"Tell me what?" A voice asked. Arianna turned around. Clint was just walking to the desk from an examining room.

"Um, I was just telling Tippy that I was going to Kichron Street. But, I'll be right back." Arianna added hurriedly.

"Well, isn't that a coincidence?" Clint said, slipping off his white doctor's jacket, "I was just plannin' on goin' over there. You and I can go together."

Arianna smiled weakly, "Y-yeah, th-that'd be g-great."

Clint put on his jacket and the two walked out the door. As they walked, Arianna pulled the Paper out from her back pocket and read the article again, as if somehow that would make it disappear.

Clint glanced over at her, "You really like that newspaper, don't ya, Arianna?"

"Well, I, I like to s-stay ahead." Arianna mumbled, barely glancing up from the Paper.

"And how does that work?" Clint chuckled at the preoccupied girl.

"It, it doesn't really, i-it does, doesn't," Arianna mumbled, then realized that they were on Kichron, "Um, I, I've got to go."

Sticking the Paper in her pocket, Arianna dashed off towards the 55-year-old man who would be paralyzed by the car he wouldn't see.

"Um, mister," Arianna stopped him, out of breath from running, "Could you please tell me what time it is?" She was careful to hide her watch that was strapped across her right wrist.

"Oh, yeah, sure," The man replied with that New Yorker accent, "It's 8:45 AM. Say, shouldn't you be school?" He inquired as a car whizzed past him.

Arianna glanced down at the Paper. The story was gone and she sighed with relief. "Um, I'm here w-with a class t-trip."

"Oh," The man nodded.

"Well, thanks, and uh, um, good bye, mister!" She waved and walked back over to a stunned Clint Cassidy.

"Arianna Hobson…" He started.

"What?" She asked him, sticking the Paper in her back pocket.

"Do you realize that if you hadn't stopped to talk to that man, he would have probably ended up in the Westbury ER?" Clint asked amazed.

"Really?" Arianna feigned surprise, "Oh, well, I'm glad he wasn't hurt. Now, didn't you have someplace you wanted to go?"

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Arianna was sitting in the chair next to Gary's bed. It was later that day and Arianna had managed to make two more saves. Each time, Clint had grown more and more amazed. And Arianna was perfectly aware of the situation. She just didn't know what to do about it. How could she keep Dr. Cassidy from noticing every time she made a save?

"You would know exactly what to do, wouldn't you, daddy?" She said, looking at her father's face, "You always do." She added softly.

"Oh, daddy, I'm so lonely without you here." Arianna sighed, "I mean, you're here and all, but it doesn't seem like it. I want to see you smile, laugh, or even grumble about the Paper!" she added a small laugh at the thought, "Its terrible living without you, daddy. I, I hate it. I can't do it. I, I try to be brave, daddy; I try so hard, but it's not easy. Everybody's been so kind to me, but… but they're not you, daddy. I need you. You've got to wake up soon."

"Arianna."

Arianna turned around to see who had said her name. Chuck was standing in the doorway.

"Hi, Chuck," Arianna greeted him softly, "You, you came."

"Of course I came," He replied, walking over to the bed, "I couldn't go back to LA without seeing you two. How is he?"

"He's, he's about the same, Chuck," Arianna answered the man with a sigh, "I know he's going to wake up and get better, b-but when? When's he going to wake up? It's been so long already."

"I know, sweetheart," Chuck patted her shoulder, "But, your dad's strong. Man, you should've seen Gar this one time. He'd only been getting the Paper a little while and he got hit by a car in the middle of the night. Darn, was it cold out there. I told him we should go home 'stead of freezin' our butts off, but no… You know, Gary; don't matter whether it's a kitty up a tree or a warehouse fire, he's gonna fix it."

Arianna smiled. She knew exactly what Chuck was talking about. Her father would risk his own life to save another. He was very special; it's hard to find someone like that.

"Anyway," Chuck continued, "He gets hit by this car and the stupid driver, some kid, he doesn't stop. Just keeps a-goin'. I try to get Gar up, but he's out of it. Couldn't wake him worth anything. So, we get 'im to the hospital and he wakes up… hours later. And you know how your dad is… as soon as he wakes up its not "I'm gonna kill that stupid kid who nearly killed me". No, that's what I would've said. Instead, it's, "The Paper? Where's the Paper?". He wanted the Paper. He could've asked for anything; a pretty nurse, jell-o, _anything_! But, no, he wanted the Paper. So Marissa goes to get the Paper for him. The doctor tells him he can't leave 'cause he was out for hours. When he sees the Paper, it really got him going. He's hurt and he wanted to go out and save the world… again."

Arianna giggled at the man's constant chatter. She knew he was right, but it was still so funny…

"Anyways, I said all o' that to say this;" Chuck inhaled deeply, then let his breath out, "Your dad's strong as an ox. He's gonna pull through whether it's today, tomorrow, or next week. He'll be okay."

Arianna smiled up at the man standing beside her chair. "Thanks, Chuck… you made me feel a whole lot better."

"And I meant every word I said." Chuck said, sitting down in a chair beside Arianna, "Gary… he's not done here. He's got so many things left to do; like raising you, running McGinty's; handling the Paper. Naw, he ain't done yet. He'll wake up soon and things will get back to, eh, 'normal'."

Arianna smiled. "Normal, huh? We'll see about that. What you call normal and what _I _call normal can be defined very differently. There was a time for you before the Paper. Me; I've known about it since I was eight. And before that," Arianna shrugged, "I thought everybody's dad got a Paper and a cat delivered to their door!"

Chuck laughed. "Yeah, I remember when Gar was frettin' over telling you about the Paper. He knew he had to tell ya, but he didn't know if you were old enough yet. He almost waited 'till you were ten."

"Really?" Arianna asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Chuck nodded, "He wanted you to have a normal life as long as possible, but Marissa and I talked him into tellin' ya when you were eight instead. He was worried how ya might take it. Ya see, eight was perfect. You were still young enough to believe such a thing could be true."

Arianna glanced at her father, his eyes lightly closed as if he was sleeping. "I believe anything daddy tells me. It wouldn't matter how old I am."

"Now why is it that Ben doesn't feel the same way?" Chuck asked, scratching his head. Ben, or Benjamin, is Chuck's oldest son, age 13, "He never takes me seriously."

Arianna just shook her head. Chuck had three kids; Ben; age 13, Elizabeth; age 11, and Charles; age 9. For some reason, she had a feeling why his kids didn't often take him seriously. But, she didn't tell that to Chuck.

"I wonder why..." She, too, scratched head, pretending to be perplexed.

"Oh, well," Chuck said, "One day they'll take me seriously. I'll show 'em. Well, kiddo, I'd love to stay longer, but I've got a plane to catch."

"Alright, thanks for coming." She stood up and gave the man a hug, "Tell Jade and the kids I said 'hi'."

"Will do," He promised, then to Gary, "Listen, man, you'd better not be in the hospital next time I come to Chicago. We're gonna go to a Cubs game. Take care."

And with that, he left her alone.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"Is there any change, Clint?" Arianna asked, as the doctor checked Gary over. It had only been about twenty minutes since Chuck left.

"Can't see much of a change, Arianna," Clint shook his head, "He seems about the same. Don't lose hope though. He'll be alright."

"I just wish he'd wake up," Arianna sighed, "It worries me to seem him this way."

"I know what ya mean." Clint nodded, "But I truly think he'll be fine."

Arianna didn't say anything. She just hoped he was right.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"How is he?" Nancy found Clint in the hallway and asked him.

"Gary Hobson?"

Nancy nodded.

"He's pretty much the same," Clint filled her in, "But, I think he'll pull through and so does his daughter."

"She hasn't given up?" Nancy asked.

"No, she hasn't. She insists that he'll be fine. And she believes it," He added, "But, she hates seein' him this way. It's got her awful scared. And there's another thing."

"Mmm?"

"She and that Chuck Fishman," He explained the best he could, "They're a strange pair. They both seem to be hiding something."

"What do you mean?" Nancy asked him, pushing a strand of blonde hair from her face.

"I don't know exactly," The doctor admitted, "But you should've seen her today. She saved three people today from serious injury or even possibly death. The funny part is; she didn't even give it a second thought. Trust me; I was with her the entire time."

"Wow; that _is_ strange." Nancy said quietly, "What do you think it means?"

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out."

"How?" She questioned him.

"Maybe I'll ask her about it tonight." Clint shrugged.

"She might not say anything. And be careful, Clint," Nancy added softly, "She's been through a lot already."

The doctor nodded slowly. Nancy was right. He'd better be careful.

**-------------------------------------------------------**


	3. Problems

"Are you sure you're allowed to come?" Arianna asked again.

She was in a hurry; trying to leave Westbury to make a few saves. It was about 4:30 PM. Raul was out of school and had come by the clinic to check up on Arianna and Gary. When he found out she was leaving, he asked her if he could come along. She had almost said 'no', but then had a thought. He knew New York a lot better than she did. He could be useful to have along.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Nate won't mind." He answered her, "Where are we going?"

"Ah," She glanced down at the Paper, "Do you know where Gregory Road is, Raul?"

"Yeah, why would you want to go there?"

"I just do. Now, come on, we need to hurry!"

"Why?" Raul asked as they ran.

"We just do."

About ten minutes later, they reached Gregory Street, which was pretty busy. And Arianna saw what she was looking for; a man walking his dog.

Just then, the scene started to unfold; the dog would get loose from his owner, run in front of a car, the driver of the vehicle would press on the breaks as to not hit the dog, which would all result in a six-year-old boy in the back seat to be thrown through the window shield. He didn't have his seatbelt on and would be killed.

Arianna watched as the dog and owner began walking towards the street. Then it happened; the dog, a German Shepherd, tore loose from his owner. He began running for the street, his brown leash dragging the ground.

Arianna took a deep breath and began running after the trouble-making canine. As she picked up speed she could feel the muscles in the backs of her legs screaming with pain. But she had to run faster! If she didn't stop that dog, a six-year-old boy would be killed. At only six? That couldn't be right. As she ran even harder, she was suddenly reminded of what she had often heard her father say. That, "sometimes we have a say in God's plan".

She picked up even more speed and just as the dog was about to run into the street, Arianna lunged after him. She could feel her body leave the ground as she lunged after the animal. But, she was only partly aware of her body hitting the hard sidewalk when she landed. Instead, she was overcome with relief as she realized that she had managed to get a hold of the dog's leash.

"Oh, dear," The dog's owner ran over to her and asked, "Are you alright, kid?"

Arianna sat up and handed the leash to the middle-aged man, then stood up with a grunt. "Yeah, I, I'm okay. Th-thanks, mister, but do me a favor, would-ja?"

"Yeah, anything." The man agreed quickly. He felt terrible about what happened.

"Try to keep a better hold of your dog next time, alright?" Arianna said, brushing dirt off of her jeans.

"That's all you want?" the man asked, surprised, "You don't want money or, or anything?"

Arianna just shook her head. "No, just hold onto your dog. Please?"

The man nodded, thanked her again, and then left. It was just then that Arianna remembered that Raul was still there.

"Arianna, that was amazing! You saved that dog's life! He was going to be hit by that car!" He exclaimed, "How did you know?"

"I guess I was just at the right place at the right time." Arianna imitated one of her father's overused excuses.

"Arianna, you're bleeding." Raul pointed out.

Arianna looked down. He was right. There was now a hole in the knee of her left pant leg and her knee was pouring out blood. Her right arm also had a long cut on it which was also bleeding. And her clothes were smeared with dirt, mud, and grass stains.

"Yeah, I guess your right." Arianna looked back up and grimaced. It was only now that she was starting to feel the stinging pain of her injuries.

"Let's go back to the clinic," Raul suggested, "Clint can take a look at those cuts for you."

"Yeah," Arianna mumbled, "That's probably a good id-" Suddenly she stopped. Her hand went to the back of her jeans. The Paper! It wasn't there!

"My Paper!" She exclaimed.

"What?" Raul asked.

"My newspaper," She exclaimed, already searching around, "I had it in my pocket. Now, it's gone. Quick; help me find it!"

Not knowing what else to do, Raul started looking for the Paper. He was confused. He had never met anyone like Arianna Hobson before. She saves a life, possibly more than one, and she acts like it's nothing. Then, she insists on finding an old newspaper. He shook his head in complete confusion. Maybe he would never understand. He glanced over at the girl. She was walking near every person with a newspaper, looking at the front page.

Suddenly he spotted a rolled up _New York Times_ lying on the ground near a park bench. He picked it up. "Arianna," He called out, "Is this it?"

She ran over to him, looked at the front page and nodded. "Yeah, this is it. Thanks, Raul."

"You're welcome. Can we go now?" He asked, "I really think you should have Clint look at those cuts. They're still bleeding. And you've got some cuts on your face, too."

Arianna's hand went up to her face. Sure enough, when she brought her hand away, there was blood on her fingertips. "Yeah, I guess your right, let's go.

About fifteen minutes later, they got back to Westbury. It took longer this time; one reason was because they ere walking and another reason was because Arianna's right side was starting to feel like one big bruise. It hurt a bit to walk, so she was taking it slow.

"Arianna," Tippy exclaimed, when the two walked in, "What happened?"

Arianna groaned as she slowly sank down into one of the chairs in the waiting room. By now, the whole bottom half of her pant leg was soaked in blood. Her right arm was in like-wise condition. She had rolled down her right sleeve completely to protect the large scrape, but it was still obvious that her arm was bleeding.

"She hurt herself saving a dog," Raul explained, "You should've been there."

"A dog?" Tippy asked, then let out a sigh, "I'll, I'll go get Dr. Cassidy. He should have a look at you, Arianna." Then she disappeared down the hallway.

"I'd better go, Arianna," Raul said, "I've got homework. I hope you feel better and I'll see you later." He waved, then left the building.

As Arianna waited for Clint to get there, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back. The pain was overwhelming and she was so tired and stressed-out; physically and mentally. If Gary could have seen her in that condition, he would've thrown a fit. Especially since it was because of the Paper. That thought brought a smile to Arianna's face for a brief moment.

"Arianna!"

Arianna brought her head back up and her eyes opened. Clint was rushing towards her, looking concerned. "What happened?" He asked when he reached her.

"It, there w-was this d-dog you s-see," She stammered wearily, "I-it was go-gonna, I had t-to get h-him, i-it would b-be too l-late."

"Never mind right now," Clint hushed her, "You can explain later. Right now, let's get a look at those cuts of yours."

Swiftly but gently, the doctor lifted her up from her chair and carried her into an examining room with Nancy following close behind them. Gently, Clint laid Arianna on top of the examining table. Quickly, he cut away the bottom half of her pant leg. Seeing the bloody mess on the child's leg, he grimaced. It was a nasty cut. Quietly, he exchanged glances with Nancy. From the look she returned him, he could tell she knew what he was thinking. Arianna, her eyes closed as she lay there, was oblivious to the glances being traded by the adults.

"_What in the world happened to this child?"_ Clint asked himself. Oh, well. He would find out soon enough. He began to clean up the wound and was relived to find that the cut wasn't deep enough for stitches.

"Is, is it b-bad?" Arianna asked. She winced as he cleaned the wound.

"Your knee's not real bad, Arianna. It's not that deep; it's just bleeding a lot." Nancy answered for Clint, "You shouldn't need stitches. We haven't got a good look at everything else though.'

When the knee was cleaned, Clint wrapped a bandage around it and tied it off securely. Next he began to examine her arm. He grimaced as he looked at the limb. "Looks like this ones gonna need a few stitches," He said to both Arianna and Nancy.

Arianna groaned, "Are you sure?"

Clint nodded, as Nancy got his equipment ready. "It's pretty deep," He explained, "It definitely needs to be stitched up."

Again, Arianna groaned. Wasn't she in enough pain already?

"Don't worry," Nancy said with a smile, "Dr. Cassidy's real good at this kind of thing. You'll hardly feel it."

Arianna managed a small smile. But, true to the nurse's word, she hardly felt it as Clint gave her six stitches.

After he finished with the arm, Clint went to the girl's head. It was mostly a bit dirty with a scrape here and there; nothing that required anything more than some peroxide and a bandage.

"Is that all?" Arianna asked hopefully.

"Just 'bout." Clint said, "We've got one more thing to do."

"What?"

"Well, to avoid the risk of infection, I'm gonna give you a shot." The man explained.

"Do you have to?" Arianna asked fearfully.

"Afraid so," He said, swabbing some alcohol on her arm with a cotton ball, "But, don't worry about it. It'll be over before ya know it."

And he was right. Much like the stitches, she hardly felt it a bit.

"Hey, that wasn't so bad!" Arianna exclaimed when she saw that he was through.

"Now, what'd I tell ya?" Clint replied, smiling.

"_Now_, am I done?" She asked.

"All through. And by the way," Nancy said, picking up a duffel bag, "Tippy ran over to Clint's and got your bag. Why don't you go change?"

Arianna nodded, thanked Clint and Nancy, and went to go change. When she was through, she disposed of her ruined shirt and pants and went to go sit with Gary again.

"Hi, daddy," She said quietly, sitting beside him, "I'm back. Don't worry. I'm taking care of the Paper and everything's fine. That little boy I told you about; he's okay. I caught the dog before he got into the street."

The girl sighed as she looked upon her father's face. He looked so peaceful; just sleeping there like that. But, she still wished more than anything that he would wake up.

"Daddy," She said, "You'd better wake up pretty soon. I know how much you wanted to visit the _New York Times_ building!" Arianna tried to joke, but it wasn't easy. At that point the only thing that could make it easy would be for her to be able to hear her father laugh.

Arianna glanced at the clock. It would be time to leave pretty soon. In a way, she wasn't sorry. She was tired; tired from worry, tired from work. What she really wanted at that moment was to crawl under some blankets and go to sleep… in her own bed. But, she couldn't do that. She had more saves in the Paper and her own bed wasn't here. She wasn't home in the loft above McGinty's; she was in a hospital in New York.

Again, guilt plagued the young girl. Oh, if she only hadn't begged her father to come, hadn't asked him to at all, he wouldn't be hurt, unconscious, possibly dyin– No! She wouldn't think such thoughts! He would live; he _had_ to live. But, her mind kept going back to that day; that day she had come home from school… excited because she had been chosen to go to NYC. She had been chosen! She remembered how her father had teased her because she was excited about school. She remembered that he had laughed… and smiled. She remembered how it felt to have him kiss her goodnight and she remembered all the times when they would go on easier 'saves' together. Thinking of those things, brought tears to the girl's mud-green eyes. To think that they may never be able to do those things together again; it broke her heart. How she wished he would wake up!

A little while later, Clint announced that it was time to go and Arianna halfheartedly stood up. She was so discouraged. She wished more than anything that her father would just wake up and tell her that everything would be okay. It hadn't happened. As she picked up her coat, she took one last look at Gary before she left the room.

"I love you, daddy." She whispered quietly. Softly brushing a kiss across her father's forehead, she followed Clint out of the room.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Clint absently stared into the crackling fire in the fireplace. The room was warm and comfortable, as a cold, February wind blew outside in the night. It was later that evening, around 10 o'clock and Arianna was fast asleep. Though he hadn't yet tried, Clint knew he couldn't sleep.

The doctor, his chin resting on his hand, glanced over at the sleeping young girl on the couch. She looked very peaceful, lying there, covered by a warm quilt; the glow of the fire flittering across her youthful face. Though she looked peaceful, Clint had a feeling that she was not. He knew she was worried; he knew it very well. He also knew she had a secret; a secret she wasn't sharing… with him, that is.

His mind went back to earlier that day; on the way home. The girl had managed to keep three more people from certain, intimate danger. And again, she acted as if she hadn't done anything on purpose; or anything important, for that matter. And the doctor grew restless as he tried to figure the issue out.

Wearily, he rubbed his temples. How could one child get into so many situations… all in one day that is? And how did she know these things? What gave her the notion to go to all of those places; and at the right time? And that Fishman fellow; he knew something, too. Clint was sure of it. He had seen the looks exchanged between him and Arianna. Oh, it was all so very confusing. Then there was that newspaper; the child was attached to it as if it were her head. Thinking of that, the doctor became even more confused. Finally, so fed up with everything, he stood up, switched off the lamp, and went to his bedroom. There, he tossed and turned restlessly until he fell asleep.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"Meow!" Thump.

Groaning, Arianna rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head. Then, she cautiously opened one eye and looked around. Yes, she was still at Clint Cassidy's house. And inwardly, she groaned. She had had a dream, a nightmare really, that her father had died; that he never woke from unconsciousness. It had frightened her terribly. She had tried to wake herself up, but all was in vain because all through the night, she was haunted by nightmares; horrible nightmares that now left her feeling drained of any energy she might have had.

Yawning, she pulled herself up from the couch and made her way over to the door. As quietly as she could, she unlocked it and pulled it open. As usual, the tabby cat sat on top of a newspaper; tomorrow's newspaper. Yawning again, Arianna bent down and pulled the Paper out from under the cat. Somehow sensing with his feline ESP that he had better not try coming in this time, he turned and ran away down the hall. Arianna shook her head in wonder at the cat, and then turned inside, shutting the door behind her.

Sticking the Paper under her arm, Arianna picked up her bag and made her way into the bathroom. Quickly, she slipped into a clean pair of jeans, a flannel shirt, and her hiking boots. After that, she quickly brushed her teeth and hair.

Emerging from the bathroom, she was startled to see Clint pouring cereal into two bowls at the table.

"Good mornin'," He greeted her with a smile. Noticing the Paper under her arm, he was quickly reminded of his latest thoughts and wonders.

"Good morning." She returned the greeting, again yawing.

"Sleep good?" He asked her, handing her a bowl as she sat down.

"Not really," She admitted, "I kept having terrible dreams about my father. He, he died. Clint, wh-when's he going to wake up? I'm so worried!"

"I know ya are," He sighed, setting his spoon down, "But, ya gotta keep your faith up. He'll pull through; I know he will. It's just gonna have to take some time, that's all."

"But, how much time?" The girl questioned, though she knew deep inside that the man didn't have an answer, "Days, weeks..?"

"I don't know for sure, Arianna," He admitted, "But, your dad's healthy and strong. You'll see; he'll be up on his feet again before you know it."

"I sure hope you're right."

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"Arianna?"

Arianna turned her head away from her father and looked at the door behind her. Nancy had her head poked around.

"Arianna," The nurse said again, "There are some people here to see you."

Two people stepped inside. Arianna instantly recognized them as Rose and Mrs. Parker. They were, of course, both dressed in their designer clothing and each held genuine leather purses "all the way from Paris, France".

"H-hi, Mrs. P-Parker, R-Rose," Arianna stammered nervously, standing up. She never seemed to know what to say around these people, "How are y-you?" Inwardly, she winced at the nervous stutter. These people were so… so perfect it seemed.

"Hello, dear," Mrs. Parker greeted her, walking into the room, "Rose and I just thought that we should check up on you," She wiped a manicured finger across the table, then examined it, looking for dust, "Find out how you are doing."

"I-I'm doing fine, th-thanks." Arianna replied, forcing a tiny smile.

"That's good, dear." The woman replied, looking around the room.

"How's your father, Arianna?" Rose stepped forward and asked softly.

Arianna's eyes widened in surprise. Rose had almost sounded… human; not like the rich snob she had sounded like before.

"He, he's about the same," Arianna replied, glancing over at the man in bed, "But, Dr. Cassidy thinks that he'll wake up soon."

"That's good to know," Mrs. Parker nodded, "Well, it was nice talking with you, Arianna, but Rose and I really must be going now. We have a plane to catch."

"Oh, oka– a plane to catch? B-but the class trip; it's not over, yet." Arianna reminded them, confused.

"I am well aware of that, Arianna," Mrs. Parker said, "But Rose and I am leaving early. Come, dear." She said to her daughter.

"Just one moment, Mother," Rose said, "You go ahead. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Rose, dear, we don't have time for this. Come now."

"Mother!" Rose exclaimed, "I am not ready. I want to talk to Arianna for a moment and I am going to whether you want me to or not. I'll meet you outside in a few minutes!"

Arianna's eyes widened even more. She remembered a time that she had dared to talk to her father in that tone of voice. She had received a punishment she wouldn't soon forget. She tried to be careful of how she spoke to people for now on. Silently, Arianna watched to see what Mrs. Parker would do. Surprisingly, the woman was silent and left the room.

"Arianna," Rose said quietly, after her mother left the room, "I, I wanted to say that I was sorry… for the way I've treated you."

"It's alright," Arianna replied, "Don't worry about it."

"It was wrong of me," Rose said, "Could you forgive me?"

Arianna smiled, despite her awe. "Sure," She said, "Sure, I forgive you."

"I suppose you're wondering why my mother and I are leaving so early." Rose said nervously, looking down at her expensive shoes.

Arianna couldn't help, but nod.

"My father suffered a financial hit yesterday," Rose said slowly, "His Company has gone bankrupt and much of our own money has been lost. We, we can't afford to stay here any longer and… and we won't be moving to New York." She added softly.

"I-I'm sorry." Arianna whispered, in shock.

Rose nodded, "We, we'll be staying in Chicago and I won't be attending _Garners_ anymore." _Garners_ was a private school in Chicago; the best _and_ the most expensive, "I'll be attending a public school. I, I've never attended a public school before."

"I go to public school; _Franklin,_" Arianna said, "It's not that bad. I like it."

Rose nodded, "Yeah, well, maybe I'll go to _Franklin_. But, right now I'd better go. Mother's waiting. Good bye, Arianna; I hope your father gets well."

"Good bye, Rose, and… thanks." Arianna replied.

Rose gave a faint smile, waved, and left the room, leaving Arianna to wonder what would ever become of the Parkers.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Arianna peeked cautiously around the corner of Westbury's hall. She had a save to make and didn't want anybody going with her this time. Too many people were beginning to get suspicious of her whereabouts already. She didn't need any more of that. She would have to go out on her own for now on.

The only person she need concern herself with was Tippy, but Tippy was busy with a patient and didn't notice as the young girl slipped pass and out the door.

Once outside, Arianna let out a sigh of relief. Subconsciously, she noticed how her warm breath appeared in the cold winter air. Glancing down at the Paper, she broke off in a fast paced run. She had only 15 minutes until a two year old boy would toddle into the street, unbeknownst to his distracted mother. He would be struck by a semi and be killed instantly.

Thinking of the horrible outcome that would unfold, Arianna picked up speed, running down the sidewalk as fast as her legs would take her. Finally, she reached the place where the Paper had spoken of. After glancing around for a few seconds, Arianna finally spotted the toddler… walking right into the street!

Quickly, but as if in slow motion, Arianna ran after the boy and managed to grab him right before he would step off of the sidewalk. Startled, he screamed for his "mama" and his mother ran over to his side.

"Young lady!" The woman exclaimed, "What do you think you're doing with my son?"

"H-he was going t-to walk into the s-street," Arianna tried to explain,

"I won't hear another word!" The woman said sternly, "I am calling the police."

"What? What for?" Arianna asked, shocked.

"For attempted kidnapping!" The woman replied.

"Wh-what?" The girl cried, "Th-that's ridiculous! I'm just a kid!"

"My sentiments exactly," The woman, said, "What's this world coming to? How all could you possibly be; 10, 11, 12?"

"11," Arianna replied, "And if you'd only listen to me, I wasn't trying to –"

"Enough, is enough," the woman said, pulling out a cell phone, "I am calling the police," Quickly, Arianna tried to run away, but the woman took her by the arm; the one without stitches, "And you are staying here, young lady." The lady said.

"_Why do I have to get in such trouble?"_ Arianna asked herself.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

It was half an hour later and Arianna was standing beside the woman who had accused her of kidnapping. The police had shown up and Arianna had been happy to find out that Nate was with them. He would stick up for her. She knew he would. He had to.

"I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation for all of this, Mrs. Johnson," Nate was saying, "I know this young lady and I know she wouldn't try to kidnap some kid. For goodness sakes, she's only 11!"

The woman was speechless at that moment, so Nate took that time to speak again.

"I'm very sorry this frightened you, ma'am. It won't happen again." And before she could protest, Nate took Arianna by the shoulders and walked away.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"Arianna, there you are!" Clint exclaimed, when Nate walked in the clinic's door, with Arianna in tow, "You 'bout scared us to death!"

"Sorry," She apologized softly, looking down at her shoes.

"We'll talk about this later," Clint said, then looked at Nate, "What'd she do?"

"Ah, some woman accused Arianna of kidnapping her son. I told her I didn't think Arianna would do that, but she wouldn't believe me." Nate explained.

"Well, thanks for bringin' her by." Clint thanked him.

"No problem," Nate said, "I'll see you two later." With that, he left.

"Come on, Arianna," Clint told, "Come with me."

Silently, Arianna followed the doctor. She felt terrible. If only she hadn't ran off without telling anybody where she was going; then this wouldn't have happened. She followed Clint into his office, where she was told to sit down in a chair. She did so.

"Now, tell me why you ran off, Arianna." Clint said.

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain, Clint." Arianna said slowly.

"Well, don't worry about that; I'm listenin'." He said.

"Alright; well, you see, I, I've got this friend i-in New York who t-told me that _they_ have this friend, this lady, who, well, doesn't keep a very good eye on her son. So, anyway, when m-my friend found out I was r-right near where _her_ friend would be, she asked me if I would go and kind of m-make sure the son d-didn't walk into the st-street... or anything else." Arianna exhaled loudly when she was finished with the confusing message.

"Ya know; I couldn't make head or tail of what you just told me." Clint said.

Arianna didn't say anything. She just sat there, hoping he would let her go.

"Do ya promise that you won't do anything like that again?" Clint asked the girl.

Arianna nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Okay, then, you can go."

Quickly, Arianna stood up and left the room. She wasn't about to give the man to change his mind. She made a mental note to not run off like that ever again; at least not anytime soon.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

It was later that day. Arianna was sitting in her chair next to Gary's hospital bed. Tired and worn out from the day's happenings, she was asleep; her head resting on her father's bed. She was totally unaware of what the next few minutes would bring.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

He opened first one eye, then the other. Ah, the room was so bright! Gary squinted. Now, where was… oh, yeah; the hospital. Why… oh, right; now, he remembered. A faulty banister; he had seen it in the Paper right before he fell through. Gosh! Did his head hurt! How long had he been out?

He suddenly noticed Arianna; her head lying on the bed, her eyes closed. He managed a small smile through the heck of a headache he had. He then noticed that his left arm was in a sling and his stomach… it felt like one gigantic bruise!

With his good arm, he gingerly stroked the top of his daughter's head. She stirred restlessly for a moment then lifted her head. When she saw her father; his eyes open, her eyes filled with tears. He was alive! He would be okay!

"Shhh," Gary said soothingly, embracing her, "It's alright, Ari. I'm okay."

"Oh, daddy, I was so scared!" Arianna cried.

"I know, but I'm alright now. Everything's going to be fine." Gary replied.

Arianna put a brave smile on her face and stood up. "I, I'll go g-get Dr. Cassidy." She sniffled, wiping away her tears.

Gary gave her a weak smile as she left the room. Who was Dr. Cassidy?

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"So is he going to be alright?" Arianna asked hopefully, as Clint examined Gary.

"Yeah, he should be fine," Clint replied, "'Course, he won't be gettin' out of this hospital bed right now or anything, but he'll be as good as new eventually."

Arianna sighed with relief. That was great news.

After a few more minutes, Clint left the room. As soon as he did, Gary asked the question that had been in his mind for quite sometime. "Uh, Arianna," He said, "Where's the Paper?"

Arianna grinned. She knew he would ask that question eventually. She pulled the newspaper from her pocket and handed it to her father.

Gary carefully took the Paper. He started flipping through it. What? That was strange. No saves? But, there should have been… wait a minute.

"Arianna," He asked, confused, "Did you..?"

She nodded.

"Oh, Arianna," He said, "Y-You handled the Paper by yourself… all this time?"

Again, she nodded, "But we've got to be careful, daddy. I think Dr. Cassidy is getting suspicious."

Gary nodded, tiredly. That's just what he needed; somebody else who knew about the Paper. Well, Dr. Cassidy wasn't going to find out about the Paper; nobody was. This was going to stay a secret. Nobody was going to find out about the Paper.

As Arianna sat with her father, she informed him of everything that had happened in the past two days. Well, almost everything, anyway.

"There's something you're not telling me, Arianna." Gary said after a few minutes.

Arianna didn't say anything. How in the world did he know that stuff all the time?

"Arianna…"

"Okay, okay," She said, "Remember that dog I told you about?"

Gary nodded, "You didn't get bit, did you?"

"No, no!" Arianna replied, "Well, when I kind of dove for his leash, I got scratched up a bit…. okay, a lot. But, I'm alright, daddy. I'm staying with a doctor remember? Clint fixed me up real good."

"Well, as soon as I'm out of this bed, I'm handling the Paper, okay?" Gary said.

"Oh, don't worry, daddy," Arianna waved her hands in the air, "You can have it. Trust me; you can have it! That thing's caused enough trouble as it is. We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for that Paper… and me." She added quietly, looking down at the hard tile floor.

Gary gave his daughter a quizzical look, "Arianna, what on earth are you talking about?"

"Daddy, this is all my fault. We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for me!"

"Arianna, that's not true." Gary assured her.

"Yes, it is," Arianna argued, "I asked you to come on the trip. If you hadn't come you wouldn't be here. It _is_ true."

"No, it's not," Gary said firmly. His mud-green eyes caught her similar ones, "Arianna, in case you don't remember, the day before we left, it wasn't the _Chicago Sun-Times_ that showed up at the door. It was the _New York Times_. Arianna, the Paper _wanted_ me to come to New York. It's not your fault. This," He pointed to his injuries, "This has nothing to do with you, Ari; nothing."

Arianna smiled and wiped away a few stray tears. She felt better. She was glad she had told her father what she was feeling.

A little while later, Clint announced that it was time to go. "You can stay here if you'd like," He said, "But I think you'd be more comfortable back at my place."

"Oh, don't worry," Gary said, "She's not staying here. She won't get any rest. No, take her with you, Dr. Cassidy. Please."

Arianna grinned. She should have known he would say something like that. Here he was laid up in a hospital bed and he's worried about how much rest _she_ got. He would never change.

After Arianna and Clint left, Gary closed his eyes and sighed. He was tired; physically and mentally. He glanced at the Paper Arianna had left lying on his bed and he shook his head. That newspaper caused more trouble than anything else he had ever seen. What was with that thing?

After a few moments, he forgot about the Paper and settled down to rest. He was so tired…

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"Well, your dad seems like a pretty nice guy." Clint said, as he and Arianna walked down the streets of New York.

"Yeah, he is," Arianna agreed, "Daddy's special." She added.

Clint nodded as they reached the apartment building. He wondered; would Gary Hobson magnetize trouble as well as his daughter?

**-------------------------------------------------------**


	4. Don't Ask, Don't Tell

"Meow!" Thump!

Startled, Gary awoke from his sleep at 6:30 AM. There on his stomach was the Paper… with the cat at his feet, washing himself.

"Well, at least you had the courtesy to not leave it at the door this time." Gary grumbled.

"Meow," Was the cat's response.

Gary glared at the feline as he began to flip through the pages. There wasn't anything life-threatening in the Paper that day. It was the fact that his 11-year-old daughter had to handle these saves… alone that angered him. It wasn't right. He hated the idea of her running around New York City; especially alone. But, what could he do? It wasn't as if he could get out this bed and go with her. If he could, he would for sure. But, he couldn't let other people be hurt either. He had a broken arm, bruised ribs, and one heck of a headache. All from the stupid banister in the museum! If he had only seen the article before… no, it wouldn't do any good to think like that. He was here and that was that. Thinking about what could have happened wouldn't do him any good. No, instead he needed to concentrate on the future; such as; the Paper. How would he keep it a secret from Clint Cassidy? The man wasn't stupid, that was for sure. He knew something was up and if Gary didn't do something, the doctor would find out everything.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

It was 7 o'clock that morning. The Paper had not come and Arianna was worried. She hoped it was at Westbury with Gary; otherwise… she didn't want to think about that.

"You alright, Arianna?" Clint asked her, during breakfast, "Is somethin' bothering you?"

"No, no, I'm alright, thanks." Arianna replied.

"Well, if you ever need to talk, I'm here for ya, alright?"

Arianna nodded. But that was just it. She _couldn't_ talk to him; not about the Paper. And that was what was on her mind.

A little while later, it was time to go to Westbury. As they walked, Arianna was afraid she'd see some kind of accident that she could_ have_ prevented… if she had the Paper. Oh! Where was that thing?

As soon as they reached the clinic, Arianna rushed in to see her father. He was, of course, lying in the hospital bed.

"Good morning, daddy!" She said, giving him a hug. Then she sighed with relief when she saw the Paper laying next to him on the bed.

"The Paper!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, it came here this morning… on my stomach." Gary explained, "I've circled everything in there that needs done. There are only a few things, nothing life-threatening."

Arianna smiled. It was just like her father to do something like that. "I can handle it, daddy. Don't worry." She said.

Gary sighed, "That's just it, Arianna. I do worry. I don't like the idea of you running around the city by yourself."

"I'll be fine, daddy," Arianna said softly, "I promise. These people need me; I've got to help them. But, we've got a problem."

"What?"

"Daddy, Clint isn't dumb. He knows something's up." Arianna pointed out.

Gary sighed and ran his fingers through his rumpled, dark hair. "I know," He said, "But what can I do? This is kind of hard to hide."

Arianna nodded silently. She didn't know what to say. She knew that it was important to keep the Paper a secret, but she wasn't sure just how exactly to do it this time. Absent mindedly, she fingered the edges of the newspaper.

"Arianna, I want you to promise me something," Gary said, his eyes and voice showing clear desperation, "Don't tell anybody about the Paper; not anybody. Do you understand?"

"Of course, daddy," Arianna nodded, "I wouldn't tell anybody about the Paper; not unless you said so. Daddy, is something wrong?"

Was something wrong? That was just it. He didn't know. He just felt as if something wasn't right; as if he had to be extra cautious… about the Paper.

"I don't know, Arianna," His soft voice finally broke the silence, "I just feel like we need to be more careful… about the Paper, I mean. If too many people find out about this, then…" His voice trailed off.

Arianna nodded and gave her father a hug. "Don't worry, daddy. Everything will be okay, you'll see. I'll handle the Paper until you're well enough, then we'll both go home… back to a, uh, 'normal' life."

Gary smiled. He wouldn't exactly have described his life as "normal", but what his daughter found normal and what the rest of the world saw as normal were two totally different things. But, that was okay.

"Listen, I've got my first save in about 15 minutes," Arianna said, glancing at her watch, "I know where it's at, so it shouldn't take long. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Alright, but, Arianna…"

Arianna turned at the door and looked at Gary.

"Arianna… be careful."

Arianna smiled at him. "I will, daddy." She said softly and then she was gone.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"'Man Paralyzed in Fall'," Arianna read the article quietly, while looking around her, "'The 63-year-old was injured when he fell from a large oak tree while rescuing a kitten'." Arianna shook her head. Paralyzed because of a kitten? Good grief!

After a few more minutes of searching the many oak trees in the park, Arianna finally spotted the man she was looking for. And he was, of course, trying to climb into the tree. Arianna, again, shook her head, silently. Oh, brother.

She sighed, and then walked over to the tree. "Uh, excuse me, sir. Can I help you?"

"Not unless you can climb trees, miss," The heavy-set man said, panting and sweating, despite the cool, morning air. He pointed up, "It's my granddaughter's kitten. It's stuck up there. It'll break the poor child's heart if something happened to the animal."

Arianna looked over at a park bench where a young girl sat. She couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 years old. Arianna's heart went out to the crying girl. She remembered how she had felt when the cat had killed her pet bird, Sammy. She had only been 5 at the time, but she remembered the day well. She sighed, knowing what she had to do.

"I, I'll get the cat for you, sir." She offered, already grasping hold of a low hanging branch.

"Thank you, miss," The man said gratefully, watching as the stranger scrambled up the large tree, "Much obliged to you."

"Ah, what's your kitty's name?" Arianna asked the young girl, as she edged out onto a branch. The ground suddenly began to spin as Arianna glanced down. She quickly looked back up at her feline target.

"Whiskers," The girl said, just loud enough for Arianna to hear.

"Whiskers, here kitty," Arianna called the cat, dangerously edging out further on the branch, "Here kitty. Come on. I'm not gonna hurt you. Here, Whiskers."

She was suddenly startled to hear somebody shout her name, "Arianna!"

Her head quickly turned towards the direction of the familiar voice. Clint was standing below; cowboy hat and all. "Arianna Hobson, is that you?"

"Guilty as charged." She admitted, not budging from her position.

"Arianna, what are you doin' up there?" He called out.

"She's getting Whiskers down, mister." The little girl spoke up.

"Whisk–? oh," Clint caught on, seeing the gray kitten on the edge of the branch, eyeing Arianna cautiously, "Ya know, where I come from, cats usually come down from trees on their own. We never had to climb up and break our necks getting 'em down."

_Tell that to him_, Arianna said silently, referring to the elderly man and recalling the article in the Paper.

"Here, kitty," Clint called the cat, "Come on."

Arianna nearly fell from the tree when the cat jumped into the man's arms and began purring. Clint handed the kitten to the little girl, who in turn nearly squeezed the life out of the tiny animal.

"Clint, do you _know_ that cat?" She asked, shocked.

"No," Clint shook his head, "Now why don't you come on down before I have to set any more 'Hobson bones'. Ya know, I've already got one of you in the hospital and I don 't really think we need another."

Arianna sighed and pulled the Paper from her pocket. She only had time to read, "Girl Paralyzed in fall", before she lost her balance and began to fall from the tree. She screamed in fright as she felt herself leave the tree. She closed her eyes tight and just when she thought she was about to hit the ground, she was aware of strong arms catching her right before she hit the hard ground.

"Arianna, are you alright?"

She opened her eyes and looked into the concerned face of Clint Cassidy. She let out a shaky breath and nodded. "Y-yes, I'm al-alright. Th-thanks."

Clint sat her down on the ground. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded as she sat down on a bench. She was still very shook up. What if Clint hadn't been there? Then she would have– quickly, she shook the thought from her mind. She didn't want to think about what could have happened. As she sat there, still in shock, she was vaguely aware of the man and his granddaughter thanking her, offering her money for her trouble. She politely refused the money and sent them on their way. She didn't want money. She just wanted this whole nightmare to end so that she and Gary could go home and get back to their regular life.

"Come on, Arianna," Clint finally broke into the girl's thoughts, "Let's get back to the clinic. It's too cold out here."

Looking up, she was surprised to see that he was still there. She had thought that he left a long time ago. She nodded and stood up. She didn't say anything as she walked beside him down the sidewalk. Her mind kept going back to what almost happened.

"Clint," She finally said.

He looked at her, expectantly.

"Clint, you won't say anything about this to my father, will you? He, he doesn't need to be worrying about me. He needs to concentrate on getting better. Please don't say anything; please." Arianna pleaded.

Her eyes, looking just desperate enough, the doctor agreed, against his better judgment. What was it about this child? She was always into trouble, it seemed. Or she at least knew how to find it.

"Arianna, you sure do seem to find yourself in… odd situations a lot." He prodded.

"Yeah, well," She shrugged, "I guess I've got a real bad sense of timing. Some people are like that, you know. While others… other people never have any trouble."

"Well, I don't know about that," Clint disagreed, "I think that everybody, no matter who they are, runs into a bit of trouble somewhere in life."

Arianna nodded. He was probably right. Nobody could have a _perfect_ life, could they?

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Gary glanced at the white clock on the wall for the 40th time. Where _was_ she? Arianna had left over 45 minutes ago. She should have been back a long time ago. He was starting to get really worried. It shouldn't be taking her this long. Oh, how he hated being confined to that bed! He was ready to get out of bed, headache or not, and find his daughter. He quickly sat up which resulted in a reminder of is blow to the head. Grabbing his forehead, he laid back down.

Just then, Arianna walked in. She looked a bit messy, but besides that you wouldn't know anything went wrong.

"Arianna! Where have you been?" Gary asked when he saw her, holding onto his forehead.

"I told you; I had to keep that guy from getting paralyzed. It just… well, it took longer than I expected. I ran into, um, some technical difficulties."

Gary nodded. What could he say? After all, he would have done the same thing; took longer if he had to, but still…

"How're you feeling, daddy?" Arianna asked, sitting next to the bed.

"I, I'm okay, Arianna," He said, "Except for the fact that I feel like one big bruise and I've got this terrible headache. But besides that…" He let his voice trail off.

"Daddy, if we don't do something, Clint's going to find out about the Paper." Arianna said, worried, "He saw me today… saving that man. Daddy, what can we do?"

Gary let out an exasperated breath. "I don't know, Arianna," He admitted, "I really don't know."

Arianna sighed out slumped down in her chair. Well, somebody had to think of _something_.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"Gotta minute?" There was a knock on the door frame.

Clint looked up from the papers he had scattered across his desk. Nancy was standing in the doorway. He smiled, "Sure, come on in."

Nancy stepped into the office and sat down in the chair across from Clint. "How is Arianna?" She asked, "And her dad?"

"Well, Arianna's doin' much better now that her dad's awake," Clint explained, "But, Gary, well he's still recoverin' from that hit to the head."

"What about you?"

"What?" Clint asked, confused.

"I don't know, but you haven't seemed to be acting like yourself, Clint," Nancy told him, "Is something bothering you?"

"Well, to tall you the truth," He admitted, "There is somethin' bothering me."

"You want to talk about it?" Nancy asked, softly.

"It's about Arianna," He began, "There's somethin' about that kid. She knows things, Nancy."

"What kind of things?" Nancy asked, not quite sure what he meant.

"Trouble, I mean. She always seems to be right where trouble _would_ be, but she stops it," Clint tried to explain, "For instance; she's walking down the street and then she stops and talks to a man she doesn't even know. Just as she's talkin', some car zooms right through a red light. The guy would've ended up in the hospital or worse. Then, she acts like she wasn't even aware of what she did. She's done things like that lots of times; it just doesn't make any sense."

"Wow that _is_ weird." Nancy said quietly, "Now, there's something where some people are like that, where they know what's going to happen. They have a name for it…"

"Clairvoyance."

"That's it!" Nancy snapped.

"To tell you the truth, I've already thought about that," Clint said, "But, I'm not so sure on how to find out."

"Have you tried talking to her dad?"

"No, but– ya know, that may not be such a bad idea. I think maybe I _will_ talk to him." Clint decided.

Nancy just nodded. She hoped this went well.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

"Feel like talkin' to anyone?" Clint asked Gary later that day.

"Sure, why not?" Gary agreed.

Clint stepped into the room and sat down in Arianna's chair. He had chosen this time because he knew that Arianna wasn't there. He had seen her leave the clinic… again.

"So how long before I can leave, doc?" Gary asked the man.

"I would guess in a couple of weeks. Your bones are healin' pretty fast, but we want to make sure. Besides," Clint said, "You were out for two whole days; we wanna keep an eye on that head of yours."

"No offence, doc, but I've never liked hospitals all that much." Gary said.

Clint laughed, and then got serious again. "Gary," He started, "I wanted to ask you some questions."

"Fire away."

"About your daughter."

Gary's head snapped back into attention. What was it he wanted to know?

"Well, I've been watchin' Arianna and I've noticed something." Clint admitted.

"She's not sick, is she?" Gary asked a bit worried.

"Oh, no; nothing like that," Clint shook his head, "It's just that, well, she seems to find herself in some… interesting situations sometimes."

Gary's heart quickened its pace. He knew where this conversation was going and he wasn't sure he liked it. What was he going to do?

"Is that so?" Gary asked.

"Gary… is Arianna… clairvoyant?" Clint asked cautiously.

Gary's face broke out into a big grin. This was funny! Arianna? Clairvoyant? It was all funny to Gary. He knew the truth. But, Clint was now very puzzled.

"No, doc, she's not clairvoyant. She just knows how to find trouble." Gary said and all was the truth, "But, thanks for your concern."

Clint nodded and stood up, "Well, you're right about one thing."

"What?"

"She sure knows how to find trouble." Clint said, then he turned towards the door and left.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

A little while later, Arianna walked into Gary's room. The "save" had gone by fine. She had stopped the convenient store hold-up. Now, she had only one save left and she would do that on the way to Clint's.

"You look happy, daddy." That was the first thing Arianna noticed when she walked into the room.

Gary smiled, "Well, in a way, it's not really funny."

"What?"

"Clint asked me if you were clairvoyant." Gary explained.

Arianna laughed, "What'd you tell him?" She sat down in a chair.

"What'd I tell him? What do you think I told him? I told him 'no'. No, you're not clairvoyant."

Arianna smiled. It was funny to think about. She wished she could have been there. Then she noticed that Gary's face had gotten serious again.

"Arianna, if we're not careful, Clint's going to find out about the Paper," Gary said, "I, I mean this whole 'clairvoyance' thing is nearly hitting the nail on the head, don't you think?"

"I know, but what are we going to do, daddy?" Arianna asked. _She_ didn't have any ideas.

"I want you to lead him in the wrong direction, Arianna," Gary ordered her; "I want you to get him confused and turned around."

"What do you mean?" Arianna didn't quite understand.

"When he asks questions and trust me – he'll ask questions." Gary promised, "When he does, give him answers that he won't be able to work with. Don't let him know about the Paper. Keep him guessing. You got it?"

Arianna nodded. This should be interesting…

About half an hour later, Arianna stood up. "I've got to go now," Arianna said. She gave her father a hug, "I love you, daddy." She said softly.

"I love you, too," He replied, "Now, you'd better go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Rest up, daddy," Arianna ordered, "The sooner you get better, the sooner we can go back home." With that, she left.

Gary closed his eyes and sighed. Why him?

**-------------------------------------------------------**

It was about 9 o'clock that night. Arianna was sitting with Clint on the couch. She knew he had loads of questions, but was just waiting until the "right time" to ask them. Finally, the right time came;

"Arianna, can I ask you a question?" Clint asked.

"Go right ahead." Arianna knew what he was getting at.

"Arianna, how do you know what you know?" Clint asked.

"Howzat?"

"How do you always seem to find the trouble… then fix it?" Clint asked, "How do ya do it?"

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, Clint." Arianna feigned confusion.

"Like earlier;" Clint referred to the walk home, "When you stopped that semi from running the red light and plowing into that red minivan. How did you know that would happen?"

"Oh, that?"

Clint nodded.

"Oh, that was easy," Arianna said, "You see, anybody could see that he wasn't watching the road. He was looking back for some reason. I just got his attention so that he wouldn't hit anybody. I didn't even notice a red van."

Clint was puzzled even more now. That _was_ a pretty good explanation. But, he decided to try again;

"But, what about the other day, when you stopped that man from being hit by a car;" Clint tried, "How'd ya know about that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Arianna pretended.

Clint sighed. This was getting him no where. He needed some time to himself to think for a little while. "Ya know what, Arianna; I just remembered something I've got to do. I'm going to my room. I'll be out in a few minutes."

Arianna nodded. He was acting stranger and stranger. You would think _he_ took the blow to the head. She just shook her head. Life was so confusing.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

The next morning, Arianna wasn't at all surprised to see that the Paper didn't come. And she was glad. That way she didn't have to risk Clint seeing it.

"Any surprises this morning?" Clint asked, as the two walked to Westbury.

"Not today." Arianna replied.

This puzzled Clint even more, at times the child acted as if she knew what he was talking about and other times she acted as if she was totally oblivious to what he was saying. Perhaps he would never understand.

A few minutes later, when they reached Westbury, Arianna said "hello" to everyone and then went to go see her father. Gary was, of course, already awake and had the Paper spread out in front of him on his lap.

"Good morning, daddy," Arianna greeted him, while removing her coat and gloves,

"Good morning, Arianna," He replied. Arianna noticed right away that he sounded troubled and distracted.

"Daddy, is something the matter?" The girl asked, sensing something was wrong.

"He's in the Paper." Gary said, without looking up.

"Who is?"

"Dr. Cassidy – he's in the Paper… the obituaries." Gary explained.

Arianna gasped, "Wh-what happened?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out, Arianna," Gary admitted, "You see, that's just it; that's the problem. I can't find anything on why he dies."

"Well, what am I going to do, daddy?" Arianna asked, "I mean; I'm only one kid. I, if I don't even know _how_ he dies! What am I going–"

"Arianna, Arianna," Gary hushed her, softly, "Calm down, calm down."

Arianna quieted down.

"Arianna, come here." Gary called her, quietly.

Arianna went and sat down on the bed beside her father. He put his good arm around her shoulders.

"Arianna, I want you to remember this… always;" He told her, "You _never_ have to do anything alone; never. Whenever you need help, I'll be there for you; every step of the way. And if for some reason I'm not," He added, "There will be someone else; I promise. There's always somebody watching over you, okay? We'll figure this out… together. Don't worry, we'll figure it all out."

Arianna managed a smile and gave her father a hug. "You're right, daddy," She said, "We'll figure this out together… but, how?"

Gary ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know, Arianna, but I do know one thing; starting now, we can't let Clint out of our sight. I don't know how, yet, but we're not gonna let him die."

Arianna nodded, "I'm going to find him right now. Daddy, we can't let anything happen to him!"

Leaving Gary to finish searching the Paper, Arianna went in search for the doctor. She finally found him, just leaving his office.

"Howdy, Arianna," He greeted her, "I was just about to go check up on your dad. Why don't you come with me?"

Arianna nodded silently and followed him back down the hall. She suddenly had a thought; how was she supposed to handle the Paper and keep an eye on Clint at the same time.

"Uh, Clint, you don't plan on going anywhere today, do you?" Arianna asked, "Besides, back home, I mean."

"I don't know, Arianna. Why do you ask?" as he walked, he scanned a file labeled '**Hobson, Gary'**.

"Well, I was just wondering." Arianna replied with a shrug.

"Good mornin', Mr. Hobson," Clint greeted Gary, walking into eth room.

"Good morning… and its 'Gary'." He replied. Arianna noticed that the Paper was now re-folded and laying on the nightstand beside the bed.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that," Clint apologized, "How're you doin' this mornin', Gary?"

"I'm doing okay, I guess," Gary replied, shifting slightly in his upright position in the bed, "The headache's not so bad anymore."

"And the arm?"

"Much better, I think." Gary replied, glancing down at his left limb.

"How about those ribs;" Clint asked, marking something down on Gary's file, "They still feel like a horse kicked ya?"

"They feel almost normal," Gary answered, "Except for when I cough, or something like that."

"Great."

"Does this mean I can go home soon?" Gary asked hopefully, eyeing his daughter's also hopeful face.

"I'd give it another week if I were you," Clint suggested, "But, then, that's just my opinion. You're free to leave at any time, ya know."

Gary nodded. He knew that, but for his sake and for Arianna's, if the doctor thought he shouldn't leave, yet, then he wouldn't.

"Uh, doc," Gary said, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand, "I, I wanted to thank you f-for taking care of Arianna right now," He glanced over at his daughter, "I really appreciate it and I don't know what I would have done without you."

"It's been my pleasure, Gary," Clint assured him, "She's been good company for me. I'm just glad I could help you out."

Arianna kept her head down through out this conversation. She pretended to be reading the Paper. It embarrassed her to be having people talk about her. She kind of wished they'd switch to a different topic.

"Well, I'll be back in a little while," Clint said after a few minutes. He started towards the door, "I suggest you rest up, Gary. Chicago's a long trip from New York."

"I will," Gary promised, "Uh, doc?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Gary said.

For a moment a strange look came over Clint's face, then vanished as quickly as it had come. He nodded, "I will, Gary. Thanks."

Arianna watched as Clint left the room. In a way, she felt sorry for the man. He was so confused and had no idea what was going on. She shook her head. This Paper sure caused a lot of problems.

"Daddy?" She asked after the doctor was out of ear's shot.

"Mmm?"

"Daddy, what's it like; not knowing what's going to happen?" Arianna asked curiously, settling down into the chair she had been occupying for the past few days.

Gary's mouth dropped open in surprise. What was it like? How do you describe something like that? The whole idea was basically foreign to the child. She had grown up used to life like this. She had never known any different. This was mostly a normal life for her. Anything else would be abnormal… strange even. In a way, the man felt sorry for her. She would never experience what he would call a 'normal life'. The receiving of news a day early would always be natural for her. And she probably wouldn't have it any different.

"You want to know what it's like not knowing, huh?" Gary asked her.

Arianna nodded. To her, the whole idea seemed a bit strange. Knowing what was _going_ to happen was scary enough, but to _not_ know? That sounded even worse! You didn't even have time to prepare for the terrible things that you couldn't prevent. She shuddered at the thought.

"Well, not knowing is very different, Arianna," Gary tried to begin explaining, "You get up in the morning… at any time you want, I might add. You decide what you would like to do that day. And nothing can change your plans except for some unforeseen situation that might come up. The day and the way you spend it is usually up to you."

"Unless you're eleven-years-old and have to go to school." Arianna added, grinning.

Gary laughed, "You're right about that one, Arianna. When you don't get the Paper," Gary then continued, "You usually don't end up in so much trouble, so many problems. Like; bank robberies, kidnappings, murders, etc. and you don't have a cat if you don't want to."

Arianna smiled. Gary was always complaining about the cat, but she suspected that deep, down inside, he had a special place for the mysterious feline in his heart.

"You know, daddy," Arianna said, "I'm not so sure I would like having what you would call a normal life. It sounds kind of scary."

Gary smiled a bit, "Yeah, well, we'll see. Who knows; maybe one day you'll have a 'normal' life. You never know."

"But you do." Arianna grinned.

Gary swatted her playfully with the Paper. "Oh, ha, ha," He said, "That's very funny. Now, I do believe it's time for the first save of the day." He announced, opening up the Paper.

"What is it?" Arianna asked, leaning in to see the article.

"'**Woman Victim of Dog Bite; Loses hand**'," Gary read out loud, "It's on Hammond Road at 10:25 AM. Do you know where that is, Arianna?"

Arianna nodded, "I think so. I believe I passed it yesterday."

"Good," Gary handed her the Paper, "Well, why don't you go take care of that? And be careful, Arianna."

"I will, daddy," She promised, "And I'll be back soon. This shouldn't take long."

**-------------------------------------------------------**


	5. Time to Go

"'34-year-old Jeanette Brown was bit by a large breed dog on Hammond Road yesterday when she went to feed the stray'." Arianna re-read off the paper. She looked around for the dog catcher. She had called up the Animal Shelter before she left the clinic. They should be there any minute now. And sure enough, a van pulled that said on the side; NYC Dog Catcher.

After a few minutes, the dog was found and placed into a cage in the vehicle. Arianna sighed with relief as she spotted Jeanette Brown coming up the sidewalk. Glancing down at the Paper, Arianna was happy to see that the article was gone. As she started her walk back to Westbury, she flipped through the pages of the Paper. She stopped when she saw the picture of Clint Cassidy next to his obituary. It worried her. She didn't know when, how, or where Clint would die. She couldn't stop it! She wondered if this was sort of how it was like to have a, so-called, "normal" life.

A few minutes later, she got back to Westbury. She was relieved to see that Clint was busy with a patient. She then went to go find her father. She found him in his room, flipping through the pages of an uninteresting magazine featuring various celebrities.

"I'm back, daddy." Arianna asked, stepping into the room and dropping the Paper on his bed.

"Did you stop the attack?" Gary asked, trading the magazine for the Paper.

She nodded, "Yeah. Jeanette brown isn't going to be bit by a dog… not today anyway."

"Great." He said.

"What else do we have for today?" Arianna asked.

"Some kid rides his bike into a glass door, a hit-and-run, an unidentified man who falls from a building, a kidnapping, and a robbery at a thrift store; not to mention Dr. Cassidy," Gary read off his list, then looked up at her, "It's a busy day, Arianna. Are you sure you can do this?"

Arianna took a deep breath. Could she do this? She knew then what her answer would be. "It looks like I have to," She said at last, and then looked her father in the eye, "I can do this, daddy. I have to."

Gary smiled. He should have known she would say that. Of course, she wouldn't give up. He knew she meant what she said and would do anything she had to, to keep her word.

* * *

Arianna studied the kid on the bicycle. He looked to be about 14-years-old. She shook her head in dismay. How could he not see that glass door? Sticking the Paper in her pocket, she went and stood in front of the door. He had to see her, didn't he? She was right. He spotted her standing there and turned to the left. Christopher Lopez wouldn't be riding through a glass door that day.

* * *

The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly with only a few bumps along the way. All the saves were made successfully, one way or another. But Arianna and Gary continued to worry. If they didn't do something, Clint Cassidy would die that day. They didn't even know when! Both were very discouraged by the time Clint announced that it was time to leave the clinic.

Gary was especially worried. From the moment Arianna and Clint would walk out that door, there was nothing he could do; no way for him to help his daughter. All was up to Arianna now. She would have to face this herself and Gary hated the very idea of it. He knew she was scared, though she tried her best to hide it. He felt failure; like there was nothing he could possibly do anymore. He felt as if Clint might as well already be dead.

When it was time to go, Arianna gingerly hugged her father. She didn't let go right away. She was frightened, even though she didn't want to admit it. What was he going to do? Wasn't she in way over her head already? She felt like a total failure. After all Clint had done for her, for her father, she was going to have to let him die. He was going to die and there was nothing she could possibly do to stop it. She didn't even have enough information. Finally, taking a deep, shuddering breath, she pulled away from her father and bravely looked him in the eye. "I love you, daddy." She whispered.

"I love you, too, Arianna," He replied, kissing her on the cheek, "Be careful, okay? I don't know what's going to happen, but it can't be good."

Arianna nodded, "I know. I'll be careful, daddy. B-but what c-can I do? I mean, Clint's going to die! I don't know when or why; will I even be able to stop it?"

"You'll try," Gary told her, "And I know you'll do your absolute best. That's what counts. Just remember, if anything happens, I'm right here, okay? It may not seem like it, but things will be alright. Have faith, Arianna. That's what Marissa would tell you, isn't it?"

Arianna nodded silently, glancing at the Paper Gary held in his hands.

"Alright then," Gary said. He placed the Paper carefully into his daughter's hands, "I love you, Arianna. Just remember; 'have faith', alright? Things will work out."

Arianna took one more look at her father's encouraging eyes, took a deep breath, and walked out the door. She had all the courage she could possibly muster. If her father said things would work out, she believed him. Things would work out.

"Ready to go?" Clint asked Arianna, as she slipped into her coat.

Arianna looked him in the eyes and nodded, "I'm ready."

* * *

Arianna looked around herself in wonder. This was amazing! She never would have imagined that New York City was so beautiful at night!

It was later that night, around eight-thirty. Clint had told Arianna after dinner that there was something he wanted to show her. And he had brought her up to the roof. And he had been right. It was beautiful!

"Ya know," Clint said, taking a look around, "When I come up here, it reminds me of back home in Montana."

Arianna looked surprised, "Here? But this is a big, busy city, Clint. How can this remind you of home?"

"I don't look at the buildings, Arianna," Clint explained, "I look around… at the sky. It's big and wide open. It reminds me of Montana."

Arianna nodded, "It makes me think of my mother. I've seen pictures of her. She was so beautiful," Arianna added softly, "Just like this sky at night."

Clint looked around. He knew just what she meant. It was beautiful. He started to lean against the railing surrounding the edge of the tall apartment building. Just then, there was a big CRACK! The next thing Arianna new, Clint was hanging from the edge of the building.

She screamed and that's when she remembered the one save in the Paper that had not yet happened; "Unidentified Man Fatally Falls from Apartment Building".

"Clint, hold on!" She shouted.

Clint didn't say anything. He just looked very desperate. Arianna peered over the edge and her stomach turned at what she saw. Clint's cowboy hat had fallen off his head and was now lying on the pavement below. She could only imagine what Clint would look like if he fell… and he would if she didn't do something. It wasn't a pretty picture.

Frantically, she searched around for something for him to grab onto. Finally, she spotted it. Clint's lariat rope was lying coiled on the ground. He had shown her how to use it a few nights ago. Suddenly, she knew what she had to do.

She quickly grabbed the rope and tied it around a large pipe sticking up through the roof. Tying the other end in a slip-knot, she tossed it to Clint. He managed to slip it over his head and underneath his arms. Arianna pulled on the rope and it tightened around the man's chest. Then she began pulling, but without success. He was too heavy. She gasped for breath as she took a break. "C-Clint," She gasped, "I, I can't do i-it!"

Clint took quick action and began to pull himself up with the rope. Arianna grabbed the rope again and began pulling; hard. She felt the rope burning her hand d, but she wouldn't let go. She couldn't! And after a few minutes; Clint pulling himself up and Arianna tugging on the rope, Clint managed to crawl back onto the roof.

Shakily, the doctor stood back up and stepped away from the edge of the roof. Arianna quickly wrapped her arms around him and he embraced her in a tight hug. He looked down over the edge of the roof and quickly looked back up. That could have turned out really bad.

* * *

One Week Later…

Arianna looked up at her father as he zipped up his leather jacket and pulled on his black gloves. She smiled. The two were getting ready to head home and it felt wonderful. Arianna had called Marissa and filled her in on everything that had happened. The woman had sounded relieved when Arianna told her they were coming home.

"Ready to go, Arianna?" Gary asked.

She nodded.

"Well, let's go say our good-byes then." He said. They left the room and found Clint at the front desk, talking with Tippy. He stopped when he saw them approach.

"I, I want to th-thank you for taking care of Arianna," Gary started, "And for taking care of me. I couldn't have made it without you."

Clint nodded, "I'm just glad I could help, Gary. Ya know; your daughter's really special. If I'm lucky, I might just have one like her someday."

Arianna blushed and Gary smiled. "Yeah, well, thanks." He shook the doctor's hand.

Arianna then stepped forward. "Thanks, Clint," She said, "We couldn't have made it through this without you." She gave him a hug.

He smiled and hugged her back. "You're welcome, Arianna. Hey, you email me, okay? Let me know how things are goin', alright?"

"Yeah," She stepped away and grinned, "I will. Good bye, Clint."

"Good bye, Clint," Gary said, picking up he and Arianna's bags, "And thanks again."

"Good bye," Clint replied, watching them walk out the Westbury doors, "And have a safe trip home."

Once in the taxi, on the way to the airport where the two would catch h a flight to Chicago, Gary pulled out the Paper. As he began to read, he was shocked.

"Arianna," He said quietly, "We can't go home just yet."

"What? Why not, daddy?" Arianna asked, puzzled.

"This is why not." He showed her the article in the Paper and the girl's mouth dropped open in surprise. The article read; Over 500 Missing after San Francisco Explosion – Thousands Feared Dead.

"Looks like we're not taking the next flight to Chicago, honey," Gary announced, "We're going to California."

Arianna sighed and leaned back in her seat. Here we go again.

* * *

Later that same night, Clint sat at his laptop, writing a letter;

_Dear Doc,_

_A lot has been going on these past few weeks. I met a man and his daughter who had a more faith than a whole church congregation. You could tell they believed in every life and they proved it many times._

_I faced a near death experience myself. I nearly fell from my apartment roof. But, it was only as I was hanging from the edge of that building that I really came to realize how none of us really know when we are to die. It has really changed my outlook on life._

_Tell Dottie hello for me. Tell everyone I miss them; you too. Who knows, maybe I'll come back for a visit sometime soon. It's been an awful long time since I've been back home. _

_Doc Cassidy_

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All Disclaimers Apply

Written by Victory-Starr


End file.
